The climax of the AP's anti-Jewish bias and Islamist terror whitewashing
The AP's framing of the attack on Joseph's Tomb removes any last illusions of its willingness to report honestly on Jews, Israel and Islamist terror
On Sunday, April 10, 2022 Palestinian Islamist terrorists attacked one of Judaism’s holiest sites: Joseph’s Tomb. Here is a briefer on why this site is so special to Jews.
This was the aftermath of the attack:
How responsible news organizations reported this Islamist terror attack
Here is an accurate news report on this incident, from the Times of Israel. Note that this is the fifth Palestinian Islamist terrorist attack in three weeks, in which 14 Jews were slaughtered, and dozens more were injured:
Excerpt:
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett joined the condemnation on Sunday of the overnight arson and vandalism of Joseph’s Tomb near the West Bank city of Nablus, saying he was appalled by the images of the damage to the shrine.
“During the night Palestinians destroyed Joseph’s Tomb. Dozens of Palestinian rioters in a campaign of destruction simply violated a holy place for us, the Jews,” Bennett said at the start of the cabinet meeting.
“They broke the tombstone on the grave, set fire to rooms in the compound — I saw the pictures and was shocked,” he said. […]
Around 100 Palestinians broke into the site overnight, rioted and set it ablaze, before they were dispersed by Palestinian security forces and smashed objects inside, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Ran Kochav said.
For other reasonably accurate, contextual reporting on this terrorist attack, see:
Palestinians vandalize Joseph's Tomb; PM vows to bring perpetrators to justice - Israel Hayom
Palestinians Set Fire to Joseph's Tomb Amid Calls for 'Day of Rage' - NBC News
Palestinian rioters vandalize Joseph's Tomb amid clashes with IDF - The Jerusalem Post
Now, let’s examine how the AP “reported” this terror attack on Joseph’s Tomb
This “news” story is here.
Let’s dissect this “news” story:
(1) “West Bank”? Joseph’s Tomb is located in Nablus, one of the Jews’ ancestral lands — which is subsumed under its proper name: Judea & Samaria — over which Israel gave almost complete autonomy to the Palestinians in 1995 . This hand-off of Jews’ homeland was part of the Oslo “Peace” Accords, one of Israel’s desperate attempts to secure peaceful coexistence with the Palestinians.
(2) A “shrine”? What kind of shrine? A Muslim shrine? A Catholic shrine? A Buddhist shrine? A Mormon shrine? A Tibetian shrine?
The AP doesn’t include any indication that this is one of the Jews’ holiest shrines.
Yet imagine how the AP would have covered this terrorist attack had it been Jews that attacked the Muslims’ holy Kaaba, and attempted to burn it to the ground.
(3) What does the picture have to do with the story? Absolutely nothing of any meaning. It is a stock AP picture, described in this Spanish news story as: “Storks fly over a section of the Israeli separation wall, between Kibbutz Kramim and the West Bank town of Arab al Fureijat, on Sunday, April 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty).”
(4) “Tensions soar”? Tensions, between whom? Between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas? Palestinians and Christians? Palestinians and Druze? Palestinians and atheists?
No. The nature of these “tensions” is Israel’s efforts to defend her people from the recent wave of Palestinian Islamist terrorist attacks.
Imagine if a town in the US, Canada or Western Europe was under constant violent attack by neo-Nazis, or MAGA cap wearers, and its police force was working to hunt down, arrest and prosecute the alleged perpetrators.
Would any responsible “news” organization:
Describe this situation as generic situation of “tension” between that town and those who were terrorizing it, and slaughtering its people?
Deny what was motivating the attackers? (In this case, a belief that they have a holy responsibility to murder and terrorize as many Jews as necessary to drive them off all the land that now constitutes Israel, and the disputed areas.)
Use a generic, nondescript photo, instead of images depicting the damage done to the victims’ holiest shrines, which were readily available at the time?
Here is how the AP defines and promotes itself:
Advancing the power of facts
The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business.
Given the facts regarding incident, the AP’s claim of being “the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news” is exposed for the lie it is, at least in the context of bias against Jews and Israel, and whitewashing of Islamist terrorism against both (details below).
Additional information on the AP’s long-term bias against Israel
Documentation of AP bias against Israel - Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA)
The Associated Press Has a Clear and Dangerous Anti-Israel Bias - The Algemeiner
Associated Press sells out journalism principles for anti-Israel ‘narrative’ - The Hill
Former AP Reporter Exposes Anti-Israel Media Bias - ZOA Campus