Major media outlets all too often mislabel Hamas as “a militant organization,” despite the fact that the United States, the European Union and Israel, among others, have all designated it as a terrorist organization, given its countless suicide bombings, rocket attacks, and shootings of Israeli civilians.

A case this week in The Los Angeles Times is particularly striking. On Sunday, a news brief reported:

Egypt’s chief prosecutor charged 200 people with carrying out more than 50 terrorist attacks, killing 40 policemen and 15 civilians and conspiring with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The defendants, 98 of whom have not been apprehended, are suspected members of Ansar Bayt Maqdis, or Partisans of Jerusalem, which has claimed responsibility for the bloodiest attacks since a wave of violence picked up after the military overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi last summer.

The prosecutor’s statement refers to the group as “the most dangerous terrorist group.”

So, while the Egyptians are charged with “terrorist attacks” for, in part, conspiring with Hamas, The Times still whitewashes Hamas as a “militant organization.”

The scene near St. George’s Church on May 6, 2014.

Just how serious is the Palestinian Authority in protecting Christians in and around Bethlehem?

That’s the question Palestinians – and pilgrims to the city – need to be asking in light of the ugly and violent confrontation that took place at St. George’s Church in Khadar, just outside of Beit Jala on May 6, 2014. In addition to stone throwing, there was a stabbing.

Details are sketchy about what started the confrontation, and there are even contradictory reports about who was stabbed during the fight.

An initial report sent to Snapshots, indicated that a Christian was stabbed and others say, no it was a Muslim.

And while one source indicated that police were not on the scene, other reports indicate they were in fact present during the celebration of St. George’s Feast Day, which was attended by Greek Orthodox officials from Jerusalem.

Despite the contradictory reports, it seems pretty obvious that whatever police presence there was at St. George’s on its feast day, it was insufficient to prevent an outbreak of violence, which resulted in several injuries including one broken nose.

The Youtube video of the confrontation (which has gone viral) and photos obtained by Snapshots (posted above and below) reveal that was an outbreak of violence at St. George’s on what should have been a happy and festive celebration at the church.

In sum, stones were thrown at Christianity’s living stones near the city of Christ’s birth.

No matter how you look at it, the episode represents a failure on the part of the Palestinian Authority, one that local journalists and Christian leaders are – for understandable reasons – reluctant to highlight.
(more…)

Reports are starting to trickle out of the West Bank about violence St. George’s Orthodox Church near Beit Jala. The details are sketchy, but the violence took place on May 6, 2014. One person was allegedly stabbed and several others hurt during a confrontation between Muslims and Christians at the church, which was celebrating the feast of St. George, its patron saint. Above is video of the event that was posted on Youtube soon after the attack. Injured parishioners can be seen moving past the camera and at one point, a stone can be seen flying into a crowd.

More details as they are available.

Update: 11:10 a.m. May 8, 2014: Here is what Lela Gilbert, author of Saturday People, Sunday People, Israel through the Eyes of a Christian Sojourner, reports:

A Bethlehem Greek Orthodox Church (St. George’s Church – Khadar – near Beit Jala) was attacked by Muslims during its annual St. George’s Day services on May 6. … Some local Muslims either tried to park a car too close the church and/or tried to enter the church during a service honoring St. George – the initial instigation isn’t clear. But when the intruders were asked to leave, one of them stabbed a Christian man who was outside the church serving as a guard. He was hospitalized. Several then started throwing stones at the church. 7 or 8 Christians were injured and some physical damage was done – broken windows etc. The police didn’t show up for an hour.

In “honor” of Israel’s Independence Day, the terrorist group Hamas, which is in the process of forming a unity government with the so-called moderate Fatah-run Palestinian Authority (PA), released a video parodying Israel’s national anthem, Hatikvah. But the Hamas version is a bit different:

The Zionist army was built of wax
And now it has melted and has no hope.
The bastard Jews that were once here,
Somebody tell what is left of them.
Two parts: the first will be deported
To their country of origin, if they choose that.
Whereas the stupid ones who persist in staying
Their fate is sealed underneath the dust.
The name of the holy city will revert to what it was,
Our capital – Bayt al-Maqdis – not Jerusalem.

Note Hamas hopes Jerusalem will be known as Bayt al-Maqdis. This is ironic as the Arabic “Bayt al-Maqdis” derives from the Hebrew “Beit ha-Mikdash,” referring to the ancient Jewish Temple which preceded the founding of Islam by centuries. This, even as Palestinian leaders frequently deny the Jewish connection to Israel or that there ever was a Temple on the Temple Mount. Oops.

But that is a side show.

Much more important is the fact that the video’s imagery is chilling, featuring computer animation of Jews being loaded onto transport ships with the bodies of Jews and IDF soldiers littering the ground. This video clearly advocates the destruction of Israel, as well as the murder and ethnic cleansing of Jews.

Yet, none of the mainstream media covered this video. Only some blogs, Jewish and Israeli press found it newsworthy.

Now, it’s not as if The New York Times didn’t know it was Israel’s Independence Day, the paper even celebrated the holiday in its cafeteria.

Yes, the Grey Lady felt diners should know that Israel’s food is delicious but did not see fit to let readers know that Israel’s enemies are genocidal. Apparently Times executives are more concerned with Hummus than Hamas.

In its coverage of the Hamas deal, The Times called Fatah “moderate.” So did many other news outlets.

Is joining with a terrorist group that advocates murder of civilians, ethnic cleansing and the destruction of a U.N.-member state moderate? No. Is painting a full and accurate picture of Israel’s enemies the responsibility of the news media? You bet. So… Where’s the coverage?

View the Hamas video here:

Iran’s Press TV, along with Israel’s Haaretz, falsely reports that earlier this week Israeli Prime Minister stated that Israel is home only for the Jews.

In fact, as we noted Monday, the prime minister said in the weekly cabinet meeting Sunday that Israel is “the nation-state of the Jewish people — and no other,” and ensured “full equal rights to each and every citizen.” Read here for his whole statement.

The difference is vast. If Netanyahu said Israel is “home” only to the Jewish people, then he was indicating that 20 percent of Israel’s population — or nearly 1.7 million Israeli Arabs — are not welcome or entitled to live freely in Israel as citizens with equal rights.

This false picture suits Iran’s Press TV just fine.

Israeli Prime Minister is pushing ahead with plans to change basic laws in order to define Israel as the home of the Jewish people alone. . . .

The PM added that although all people are equally treated in Israel, it primarily remains a place of Jews and no other people.

In addition, much of the broadcast includes the false banner at the bottom: “Netanyahu proposal: Israel must be home of Jewish people alone.”

Meanwhile, Haaretz editors have yet to correct their false headlines and social media items.

May 11 Update: CAMERA Prompts Haaretz Correction on Netanyahu Quote

This video of a May 2, 2014 Hamas TV program speaks for itself.

(Via Palestinian Media Watch.)

The first of two breakout sessions for students at the 2014 Christ at the Checkpoint Conference (Photo: Luke Moon)

“What happens when a Palestinian doesn’t hate Israel enough?”

That’s the question Luke Moon, a researcher at the Washington, D.C. based Institute on Religion and Democracy, asks in light of the angry and vituperative response to Christy Anastas’ April talk in Uppsala Sweden. During the talk, Anastas spoke openly about the corruption of the Palestinian Authority and about the hostility shown toward Christians and women in Palestinian society.

This was too much for many of her fellow Palestinians and for “human rights” activists in the West. Christy was denounced by her family, demonized by her fellow Palestinians and portrayed as a victim of a Zionist kidnapping plot (and worse) by “peace and justice” folks in Europe. Palestinian Christians are simply not allowed to speak openly about what is actually going on in the West Bank and Gaza Strip – unless of course they blame the suffering on Israel.

In his piece, published this morning in The Federalist, Moon writes, “It is becoming increasingly evident that anyone who speaks out in a way contrary to the party line will be publicly reprimanded and disowned.” To buttress his case, Moon cites an article by Jerusalem Post journalist Khaled Abu Toameh published in the Gatestone Institute that describes what happened to Mahmoud al-Habbash, the Palestinian Minister of Religious Affairs after he lamented the assassination of an Israeli in the West Bank just prior to Passover. Al-Habbash was “disowned by his family for stating that Palestinian blood is like Israeli blood.”

Moon also describes events at a break-out session for students at the Christ at the Checkpoint Conference that took place in Bethlehem in March. In the session for students, led by Rev. Dr. Gary Burge from Wheaton College, young Palestinian Christians talked about how it was like for them to live in the West Bank. When one student from overseas asked what it was like to live as a Christian in the Muslim-majority West Bank, another Palestinian Christian came in and stopped the student from responding. Moon describes the interaction as follows:
(more…)