From: Ali Abunimah
To: atc@npr.org
Subject: Don't fall for Israel's propaganda

August 7, 2001

Dear NPR News

I listened with interest to Peter Kenyon's report on "All Things Considered" today about Israel's policy of extrajudicial executions of Palestinian activists. To a large extent the report was fair in that it provided a number of viewpoints about the murderous Israeli practice, including the views of Palestinians. There is a serious concern, however.

Kenyon's report contained a soundbite of Ariel Sharon claiming the policy is the normal kind of "self defense" that any country would undertake. Kenyon then said:

"A number of other countries including the US don't see it that way and have criticized the policy. But to many Israelis the international protests are faint compared with the sounds of gunfire, grenades and mortar explosions coming at an increasing pace. The Israeli army says in the last week terrorist incidents have averaged thirty a day, well above the average in recent weeks."

Kenyon's statement is extremely troubling. He appears to have accepted completely the Israeli definition of a "terrorist incident." According to Israel, any act of violence by any Palestinian, no matter what the circumstances, or what the target is a "terrorist incident." So for example if a Palestinian in Rafah refugee camp inside the occupied Gaza Strip shoots at heavily Israeli occupation forces who are coming to demolish his home, the Israelis consider this a "terrorist incident." If Palestinians throw stones at occupation forces in the occupied territories, Israel considers this to be "terrorism."

If incidents of live fire by Israeli troops and settlers against Palestinians, including small arms, heavy machine guns and tank shells, and destruction of homes and agricultural land, were counted the same way, they would amount to hundreds, if not thousands of "terrorist incidents" every week.

It is an undeniable fact that to whatever extent ordinary Israelis are living with the "sounds of gunfire, grenades and mortar explosions" it is indeed faint compared with the daily sounds and deadly effects of Israeli gunfire and shelling against Palestinians, which have killed over 550 of them and injured over 20,000 since September, mostly unarmed civilians. It is also an undeniable fact that most incidents of violence against Israeli civilians have occurred inside the occupied territories, not in Israel itself.

Mr. Kenyon is doing a fine job for someone who has been parachuted in to a complex situation with little experience and where he is undoubtedly being bombarded by misleading information from the Israeli government. But it is extremely important that he not adopt Israel's definitions and rationale as he appears to have done in this report.

Sincerely,

Ali Abunimah
http://www.abunimah.org