So now the IDF is admitting it was wrong about the UN ambulance and the Qassem rocket. This is not a small matter. People took that image, dissected it, determined that it showed something it didn’t and then went on to publicize that the UN and UNWRA are implicated as accessories to Palestinian attacks.

This not only makes Israel look bad and gives credibility to an organization that consistently causes damage to Israel, but it also undermines trust in the IDF and its leadership. And rightly so.

This is very sad.

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themiddle

15 Comments

  • Not so sad you weenie!
    It’s actually pretty good. See, they made a mistake – and admitted it. How often does that happen in the ROTW (rest of the world)? No one is infallible – what is admirable however is admitting one’s infallibility and taking measures to correct it. Besides, with Hamas militants employed at UNWRA and the continued use of ambulances for non-ambulance related “stuff” I don’t think one little error by Israel is a big deal. They admitted their mistake and now let’s move on.

    Sorry about the weenie thing. Had a rough day.

  • Oh, feel free to call me a weenie all you like if it makes your day go by faster.

    The fact remains that Israel cannot afford missteps in the PR wars and this was an unnecessary HUGE foot-in-the-mouth kinda error. I bet you, though, that nobody will get reprimanded or demoted over this. Instead, somebody in a position of power will say, “Yihyeh beseder” and “Ma Ha Middle lachutz kol kach” and pretend that only weenies are concerned when Israel makes serious international diplomatic gaffes.

  • Dude, Israel’s “Hasbarah” efforts have sucked for a loong loong time. Read newly appointed Jerusalem Post Editor David Horovitz’s book – Still Life with Bombers : Israel in the Age of Terrorism to get the lowdown on how ego and politics transcend the vital need for good, cohesive Hasbarah. Hey… that nice boy Ari Fleischer, Bush’s former spokesman, he’s free now, no? Maybe we can hire him to be Israel’s mouthpiece to the English speaking press….

  • David Horovitz is the new editor at the Post? I knew he stepped down from the J Report but didn’t realize he got a new job.

    Ari Fleischer sucks.

  • Aw c’mon. Ari Fleischer did his job real well. And that’s coming from a Canadian non-republican for whatever it’s worth. What really sucks is Israel’s hasbarah infrastructure. Some people say David Horovitz sucks too, but I enjoyed reading his book and he is the grand poobah at the Jerusalem Post – don’t wanna be burning any bridges, nawhatimean, nudge, nudge, wink, wink…

  • I’ve always liked David Horovitz and think he did a fine job at the Report. I’m not completely surprised he’s at the Post since the two publications are co-owned, but the political bent of the Post is a little different than the Report’s.

  • None of this changes the fact that Hansen hires people who are part of Hamas. They could switch gears and push this angle.

    And yes, the Hasbara has been appalling.

  • Seriously. It looks awfully bad when part of the justification for an incursion turns out to be bullshit. It’s even worse when little kids die during that incursion. And it’s worst of all when you only admit it under serious media pressure coz it looks like a cover up. CK, you are such a weenie…

  • It’s not even media pressure that made them deny it, it’s the complete backfire of the original accusation when Hansen denied it. The UN, undeservedly, walks out of this with the upper hand and Israel will have a much higher bar to cross next time they make any sort of accusation.

    This isn’t anywhere near as bad, but it’s kinda like when Saeb Erakat claimed there were 500 killed in Jenin – from that point on, any claim of atrocities by Israelis could be called into question.

    Also let’s not forget that nice faux pas by Weisglas several days earlier.

  • Stennis – by bullshit, if you meant a bald faced lie, that would be fine. This was an honest mistake. As opposed to a dishonest mistake ie Israelis have already killed over 500 civilians in Jenin…

    Also keep in mind, it was just “part of a justification.” Those stupid rockets were still fired into Israel, children and civilians were still killed in Sderot and at the end of the day, the Israeli government has a responsibility to protect its citizens.

    They admitted their error rather quickly so its hard to say that the admission was occassioned solely as a result of “media pressure.”

    Finally, if little kids die, I assure you, we’re all sorry. But the blame lies squarely with those guys that lob rockets at residential towns, targetting civilians, rather tnah at an army who has always tried to minimize civilian casualties.

    So there ya have it. That’s my response to your knee jerk bleeding heart sensitive WUSSIE analysis. Mssrs, rien ne va plus!

  • CK, keep in mind that it’s not the nature of the lie but how it is perceived that affects the PR wars. Many people will believe the Israelis lied on purpose and were caught in a lie, not that it was an honest mistake.

  • Yeah but stennis ought to know better. I hold the little weenie to a higher standard cuz he’s so smart and stuff. I don’t expect him to help feed into all the ignorance. I do not however deny that Israel f*cked up and continues to f*ck up in the PR wars.

  • No way Michael! In fact the very best weenies are the kosher kind (and I’m not talking about pseudo-kosher Hebrew National here…) cuz they do not contain such flavor enhancers like cow lips and stuff like that. You can never go wrong with a good, 100% beef kosher weenie!