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Nov 29, 2023 • 10 tweets • 4 min read • Read on X
🧵Claimed words by IDF spokesman Hagari: “The emphasis is on damage and not on accuracy” have been falsely quoted worldwide as proof that Israel bombs Gaza indiscriminately, part of a campaign to claim genocidal intent. HonestReporting investigated; read for detail: 1/ Image
This 9 word snippet, offered without any context, like all Israeli “quotes” claiming to prove war crimes, were widely reported, often with extra unproven embellishment (“abandons precision bombing”) further misrepresenting what Hagari actually said and meant. 2/ Image
Washington Post later used quote as its centerpiece evidence of the same charge, that Israel is not really trying to minimize civilian casualties. WP links to the same Oct 10 Guardian article that does not cite a source. @ishaantharoor did not bother to check its accuracy. 3/ Image
Quote also featured in an HRW report charging Israel with “Mass Atrocities,” by groups like B’tselem (who further lies saying Hagari "stressed" this point) and voices like @mehdirhasan @OwenJones84 and many more. It is an inaccurate quote by Hagari & grossly misrepresented. 4/ Image
Where did this quote originate? It was first reported in Haaretz on Oct 10 by @Eden_solomon1 & Yaniv Kobowitz, words in Hebrew highlighted below. The words do mean "The emphasis is on damage and not on accuracy" But Hagari DID NOT exactly say this & the context is missing. 5/ Image
The original source is an operational briefing by Hagari in Hebrew to military reporters on Oct 10. HonestReporting obtained the transcript comprising ~2,000 words. The entire section of Hagari’s original words are shown below. The relevant words are underlined. 6/ Image
First, Haaretz abandoned rule of quotes which should show words exactly as spoken, instead they paraphrased & shortened but still put them in quotes. World media did not bother to check. Here is the ACTUAL quote with Google translation, matching HonestReporting’s translation. 7/ Image
What did Hagari mean? Key section he said is translated below. HonestReporting explains: “It was said in the context of the spokesperson’s remarks on Israel’s bombardment of HAMAS TARGETS in Gaza and the armaments that Israel had at its disposal to complete this task.” 8/ Image
Hagari speaks ONLY about terrorist targets and strategy of specific armaments to destroy these targets. He says IDF "right now" focused on weaponry to maximize damage to “terrorist organizations” assets. NOT on all of Gaza or randomly dropping bombs. 9/
honestreporting.com/questionable-h…
Media dishonestly paraphrased a few words out of 2,000 spoken, grossly out of context and its clear meaning to fabricate isolated "quote" to claim Israel is randomly bombing Gaza for maximum damage and abandoning the idea of accurately hitting any target of any kind. END

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More from @Aizenberg55

Mar 13
🧵Nasty “Purim” article by @PeterBeinart uses 3 common & inane arguments to justify Hamas' use of human shields: (1) All insurgent groups use human shields so we can't expect Hamas not to. Hamas would lose quickly otherwise so it's OK... so civilian deaths are Israel's fault! 1/ Image
(2) IDF also uses human shields with HQ in Tel Aviv. Key differences: HQ is clearly marked as military, is solely military & not co-located with civilian uses. Beinart pretends he doesn’t know all this; he knows the Pentagon is also in a civilian area and not a human shield. 2/ Image
(3) Strawman argument: just because Hamas uses human shields does not mean civilians are "fair game" as Beinart puts it. No one argues civilians can be targeted, but human shields means when targeting Hamas civilians WILL be killed. It does not then mean it's Israel's fault. 3/ Image
Read 4 tweets
Mar 11
🧵CRITICAL: Until Hamas is defeated, Israel is NOT the “Occupying Power” in Gaza and NOT obligated to provide Gazans food & aid per international law (IHL). IHL defines occupation as authority over territory that can be exercised, which Israel does not have in Gaza. Analysis: 1/Image
There is a false claim that Geneva IV.55 obligates Israel to supply Gaza as an “Occupying Power.” But despite claims that Israel occupies Gaza (often citing an ICJ Advisory Opinion or because the UN says so), per Geneva & IHL, Israel is not an "Occupying Power" today in Gaza. 2/ Image
The definition of “occupied” per Geneva and IHL is derived from the Hague Convention Article 42. See below from ICRC legal article. Importantly, for Israel to be considered the “Occupying Power” it means the “local sovereign” (in this case Hamas) cannot “exert its authority.” 3/ Image
Read 8 tweets
Mar 6
🧵Israel is often accused of "Collective Punishment” of Gazans since many suffer due to war. But this is not at all what Collective Punishment means. Geneva prohibits specific penalties against people who did not commit a crime. It's a false usage of the law to attack Israel. 1/ Image
Concept of Collective Punishment is that “penal liability is personal in character.” You cannot penalize someone who did not commit a crime. Collective punishment DOES NOT refer to general suffering from war or other reasons. Here is the explanatory commentary from Geneva: 2/ Image
Collective Punishment is NOT: Difficulty finding food, closing borders for security, demolishing booby-trapped buildings, evacuating Gazans from war zones, people living in tents, etc. It is related only to penal actions or sanctions against people who did not commit a crime. 3/
Read 5 tweets
Feb 25
🧵Ehud Olmert just released a map of proposed Palestinian state he offered Abbas in 2008, the final shattering of the myth that Abbas said no to statehood because he did not have a proper map. Palestinians had this map all along, proven by the "Palestine Papers." See detail: 1/ Image
We know for sure that the Palestinian negotiating team had the detailed map when Al Jazeera published the Palestine Papers in 2011. They contained Olmert’s plan in detail with map, see below. The "not having a map to review" excuse is fake. 2/ aljazeera.com/news/2011/1/23…Image
Here is a full thread on the Olmert offer, for those who want to know more: Olmert & Abbas initiated a peace process with support from President Bush at Annapolis Conference in Nov 2007. They issued the joint statement below with Saudi & Qatari participation at the event. 3/ Image
Read 19 tweets
Feb 21
🧵@nytimes continues to spread the lie of starvation, presenting the market in Jabaliya as something new, that has not happened for "endless months," finally some food. But food markets operated here throughout war. All journalistic standards violated here. Evidence below. 1/ Image
This 2 minute video from Dec 2024, weeks before the ceasefire, shows fruits & vegetables sold in Jabaliya, including apples. No famine, no starvation. 2/
Another video of active food markets in Jabaliya. This was Jan 2024, months into the war, when famine supposedly reached Gaza, especially in the north. No famine, no starvation. 3/
Read 4 tweets
Feb 5
🧵Article in Haaretz by Professors Daniel Blatman & Amos Goldberg claiming Israel is committing genocide in Gaza relies on lies, fake analysis and several fabricated quotes. Difficult to understand why these academics would be so intellectually dishonest. Detailed analysis: 1/Image
On intent to genocide, authors claim it exists from Netanyahu, Herzog & Gallant. But their entire paragraph is fake, with 3 invented quotes. Nothing authors write on intent is accurate, invalidating article. Inability to tell the simple truth on the quotes is shocking. 2/ Image
Authors put in quotes “There are no innocents in Gaza” but no Israeli leader said this. It’s a fake quote, not sure where they got this, why lie? Perhaps they associate with Herzog, but he never said this or anything genocidal as this thread proves. 3/
Read 16 tweets

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