Despite the history of Israeli deceit and outright lies, nevertheless, Western media and leaders continue to second guess the veracity of the narratives from firsthand witnesses on the ground, while eager to adopt the Israeli false version of events.
A blast killed more than 500 civilians in the “safe” yard of al Ahli Baptist Hospital. Within short hours, the Israeli army concluded it was a misfired Palestinian rocket. US President, Joe Biden, soon after his arrival in "Tel Aviv" adopted the Israeli story blaming “the other side” for the explosion.
"Israel's" deliberate targeting of individuals or civilians seeking refuge in "safer places" has been part of the Israeli war strategy since its inception in 1948. Therefore, before addressing the hospital massacre, it’s important to put this case within the broader context of the Israeli pogrom policy. The following is only a partial list of incidents where "Israel" first denied before independent investigation implicated it in murdering civilians while managing to evade accountability, with the full complicity of Western media and powers.
For instance, in the aftermath of the tragic murder of American Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh on May 11, 2022, the then Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett issued a tweet attributing the responsibility to Palestinian fighters. He supported his assertions with a video released by the Israeli military, claiming gunmen firing in the vicinity where Abu Akleh lost her life. Western media immediately marketed the Israeli lie by giving it more space than the Palestinian narratives. It took weeks, overwhelmed by contrary evidence, before mainstream Western media finally launched a thorough investigation into the killing of the fellow journalist.
Six months later, on November 15, 2022, Israeli War Minister, Benny Gantz, acknowledged Israeli responsibility, categorizing the killing of Abu Akleh as a grave mistake. He also informed the American administration that "Israel" would not "cooperate with any external investigation," meaning the American FBI who launched an investigation into the death of the American journalist. Biden neither called nor met the family of the “less equal” American citizen, who flew 6,000 miles to Washington hoping to meet American officials. He, however, traveled 6,000 miles to meet the more equal Americans, who chose another country’s citizenship, in "Tel Aviv".
The reluctance of the Biden’s administration to seek justice for the death of an “American” is a reflection of American leaders’ ineptitude toward America’s welfare queen, and the political dominion of the most powerful foreign lobby in the US. Perhaps this explains the source of the insolence arrogance of the current Israeli prime minister, Netanyahu who once boasted, “America is a thing you can move very easily . . .” For "Israel" has gotten away previously with murdering American soldiers when on June 8, 1967, the U.S.-supplied Israeli air force attacked the USS Liberty killing 34 sailors and injuring 171 crew members.
Other “less equal” Americans lost their lives and received no attention from the White House. Alexander Michel Odeh was assassinated in October 1985 in his Santa Ana office at the hands of a Jewish Defense League terrorist. His killer escaped to the country of his new citizenship and was for many years ensconced in a Jewish-only colony in the occupied West Bank. Another “less equal” American was Rachel Aliene Corrie who was crushed under an American-made Israeli armored bulldozer in March 2003. Netanyahu’s arrogance comes from his confidence that AIPAC’s eunuchized American political leaders would line up to kowtow to "Israel" and sacrifice American citizens at the Israeli altar.
Another example of targeting civilians was the Qana massacre in April 1996 during "Israel’s" war on Lebanon. To avoid any incident, the UN provided "Israel" with the coordinates of their base where civilians took refuge. The Israeli army might have used the same coordinates firing heavy artillery at the “safe” UN compound, murdering 106 and injuring 116 of them mostly women and children.
Again, on January 6, 2009, Israeli phosphorous bombs rained on civilians who had sought refuge inside the al-Fakhura United Nations (UNRWA) School. The bombs’ white smoke left behind trails of blood and phosphorous acid burned bodies of more than 40 dead and 50 injured children and women.
As in the al Ahli Baptist Hospital, and following these tragedies, Israeli Hasbara, aided by Western media, employed tactics of deflection and obfuscation, leading to weeks of debate over "alternative" facts. A strategy aimed to water down international outrage and ultimately removed these incidents from the news spotlight. Nevertheless, independent investigations consistently held "Israel" accountable, dispelling their false narratives. Yet, in all these cases, as in today’s hospital massacre, Western media and governments gave more latitude to "Israel’s" initial false assertions while stifling evidence provided by the Palestinian side.
Now, what evidence do we have to point to Israeli responsibility for the massacre at Al Ahli Baptist Hospital?