Time’s Shoddy Coverage (cont)
Not only bureau chief Karl Vick’s biased polemics mislead readers on the facts about Israel. Even short bits in the magazine’s “Briefing” section can’t (won’t) get the story straight. A June 13, 2011 brief reads:
Egypt Opens the Door to Gaza
ISRAEL Since 2006 the Gaza Strip has been sealed off from the world–its borders tightly controlled by an Israeli government wary of Gaza’s rulers, the Islamist outfit Hamas. But on May 29, Egypt loosened Israel’s grip on Gaza by lifting the restrictions on Palestinians seeking to cross from Gaza to Egypt. Though only a small number have gained entry so far, Egypt’s willingness to aid Gazans signals a diplomatic shift since the popular uprising that ousted its longtime dictator (and ally of Israel) Hosni Mubarak. Gaza’s other borders remain shut, but a new “freedom flotilla” carrying humanitarian aid will set sail soon to test Israel’s ongoing blockade.
Not exactly. Egypt didn’t loosen “Israel’s grip on Gaza” — it loosened Egypt’s grip on Gaza. Since 2007 Egypt has had full control of the border.
A February 2008 breach of that border saw Palestinians storm through the Egyptian-policed lines. The UK’s Telegraph noted “Without an airport or a sea port, the border with Egypt is Gaza’s only link to the outside world not directly controlled by Israel.”
That “Islamist outfit” Time refers to is, of course, the terrorist regime that long used the Egypt-Gaza border as a massive smuggling route, bringing weaponry into the Strip to attack Israel — despite the withdrawal of all Israelis in 2005.
As for the so-called freedom flotilla ostensibly planning another landing in Gaza, Time tips its biased hand here too, casting the project as focused on delivering “humanitarian aid.” The previous, 2010 flotilla was a propaganda stunt with the largest vessel, the Mavi Marmara, and several others carrying no aid at all.
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