***Update: See the continuation of this story, here:
4/2/09: Ax murder of Shlomo Nativ - A grim addendum
Today an Israeli child, Shlomo Nativ, 16, was murdered by an ax-wielding Islamist monster in the West Bank.
A 7-year-old companion of Nativ's was also attacked by the same perpetrator, and is now clinging to life.
While not a top-line story at HuffPost, the thread received very prominent placement. As is shown on this addendum thread, when one clicked on the top news thread of the day, this story appeared directly above it in a headline with picture link.
The following screen captures, obtained at 3:05pm, verify that at this time, HuffPost had reviewed, approved and published 87 comments, while 48 were still pending its approval (or rejection).
Now comes the grim quiz:
"Who Said It --- A Terrorist Spokesman, Or HuffPosters
(With Approval)?"
(With Approval)?"
It is sad that we even have to go through yet another exercise like this, especially as it relates to the story of the barbaric murder of a 16-year-old Israeli boy.
Unfortunately, it is necessary --- to show what a sampling of the comments that HuffPost reviewed, approved and published actually consist of. The following comments have been abbreviated for brevity only, and spelling was corrected as needed.
Before reading the following comments, keep in mind that HuffPost's Comment Policy claims that the site prohibits comments that:
"...are abusive... contain slurs... include ad hominem attacks including comments that celebrate the death or illness of any person, public figure or otherwise..."
ONE of the following statements is from a terrorist spokesman.
The other NINE were posted by HuffPost users, approved by its management, and published on this thread: West Bank Ax Attack Kills Israeli Child, Poses Test For New PM, as of 3:05pm (PDFs available upon request).
Can you tell which is which is the statement by the terrorist spokesman --- and which are comments by HuffPost users (which it reviewed, approved and published)?
(1) "There are no ''innocents', only targets...and acceptable/unacceptable levels of collateral damage. That is the reality...like it or not. For those of us still trying to operate from a moral perspective... I can understand (the attack), given the conditions for Palestinians."
(2) "Any story coming from Israeli sources cannot be given the benefit of the doubt for truth or accuracy... (W)ho knows whether any of this story is true or not? When we see the pack of lies and deceit that accompanies the attacks by the IDF on Lebanon, Gaza or the West Bank there can be no certainty of truth. The Occupation, collective punishment of the entire population and the 10,000 or so Palestinians in Israeli prisons tells the tale of Israeli oppression, land theft and brutal enforcement of that theft. Israel has no one to blame for the contempt most of the world feels for their policies of death and destruction. The 'settlers' are especially guilty of daily acts against Palestinians making their lives a nightmare..."
(3) "Maybe this child is an innocent victim, maybe not... I wouldn't be surprised if the victim and his friends were regularly harassing, beating, vandalizing and terrorizing their Palestinian neighbors."
(4) "This attack was committed (as part of) resistance... a reaction to (Israel's) continuing occupation and the continued building of settlements... (it is) a natural reaction... against the backdrop of Israel attacks. (Palestinians) have the right to (self-defense)."
(5) "The blame for this... rests with Israelis, especially the politicians, who have and continue to support this criminal settlement program, as well as the parents of this child and young adult. Had they not dragged their family into this clearly provocative enterprise of stripping the land away from its rightful owners, (and the) reactions of the native population to the crimes, justices and oppression of occupation would not occur."
(6) "(This attack) was most likely (perpetrated)... in the name of, 'You have invaded my land and you have killed members of my family therefore I will kill members of your family.' The settlement in which this happened is actually an illegal settlement according to the UN because it is technically in Palestinian territory."
(7) "The Palestinians put up with attacks from Jewish settlers on a daily basis... (H)ow many of the murderer's children have been killed by the actions of Israel(?)"
(8) "(Israel) continue(s) to falsely characterize the actions of the Palestinians. (This act was) acute frustration with Israel's brutal policies and America's biased support for those policies... it was a brutal reaction to brutal policies."
(9) "(A)s we witnessed in Gaza with over 400 children burned and dismembered in the invasion, children are the most innocent victims in this conflict... (B)ulldozing someone's home, stealing his land and burning his orchards constitute a crime against humanity and a highly provocative act of inhumanity. If Israel loves this land so much that it finds nothing immoral in stealing it, then it should remember King Solomon's judgment of splitting the baby to find out who loves him more, and would give him up rather than face utter tragedy. Israel's actions are proving that they don't care about the land, their children or their children's future and security... (T)he Palestinians have been subjected to such oppression and hardship that it is not surprising to expect acts of blind rage. They have lost everything; their homes, their land, their livelihood and thousands of children over the years. When you treat a man like an animal he will respond with the rage of an animal."
(10) "What do they expect for building their homes on other people's land?"
To reaffirm: 9 of the above 10 statements were made by HuffPost users, and approved by its management for publication.
(And there were lots that weren't quite this awful, that are not included here)
Can you tell which is which? Give up?
Here is the statement made by the terrorist spokesman:
(4) "Hamas called the attack a natural response to the 'occupation.' 'This attack was committed in the framework of the resistance,' said Ayman Taha, a spokesman for the group. 'This is a reaction to the continuing occupation and the continued building of settlements. This is a natural reaction, especially against the backdrop of Israeli attacks. We are a people occupied, and it is our right to defend ourselves and to act in every way and with every means at our disposal to defend ourselves,' Taha said."
- Jerusalem Post, 4/2/09
Do any rational, liberty-loving Americans (especially Jews) find it shocking that in the final analysis, the raging leftists that HuffPost facilitate and approve made even more incendiary, lie-filled, slanderously Israel-hating statements than a spokesman for Hamas did?
And are the world's biggest advertisers --- which are HuffPost's source of revenue --- really aware of what it is exactly that they are supporting, and what kind of "audience" they are paying to reach?
Now, here are the sources of the remaining nine quotes, in their original, unedited form (PDFs of the threads upon which these comments appeared are available upon request):
(1) Babysnake See Profile I'm a Fan of Babysnake permalink==========================
There are no "innocents", only targets...and acceptable/unacceptable levels of collateral damage. That is the reality...like it or not. For those of us still trying to operate from a moral perspective, I can't condone the attack (given the facts we know so far), but I can understand it (given the conditions for Palestinians).
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 11:31 AM on 04/02/2009
(2) batguano See Profile I'm a Fan of batguano permalink
Unfortunately any story coming from Israeli sources cannot be given the benefit of the doubt for truth or accuracy. This attack may well have happened and children are not a legitimate target, but we cannot know the truth of this without "walking while Palestinian" in the brutality that is the Occupation. Who knows whether any of this story is true or not? When we see the pack of lies and deceit that accompanies the attacks by the IDF on Lebanon, Gaza or the West Bank there can be no certainty of truth. The Occupation, collective punishment of the entire population and the 10,000 or so Palestinians in Israeli prisons tells the tale of Israeli oppression, land theft and brutal enforcement of that theft. Israel has no one to blame for the contempt most of the world feels for their policies of death and destruction. The "settlers" are especially guilty of daily acts against Palestinians making their lives a nightmare. I did not see Israelis speaking out on the slaughter of the 1400 mostly innocent civilian Palestinians killed in Gaza but they milk any story to their "advantage" for all it's worth.
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 09:55 AM on 04/02/2009
(3) lefty53 See Profile I'm a Fan of lefty53 permalink
I'd like to know what prompted this attack. Maybe this child is an innocent victim, maybe not. From what I've learned of the behavior of many settlers, I wouldn't be surprised if the victim and his friends were were regularly harassing, beating, vandalizing and terrorizing their Palestinian neighbors.
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:45 PM on 04/02/2009
(5) WoodyTanaka See Profile I'm a Fan of WoodyTanaka permalink
Certainly no one should murder innocents, and there is no excuse for engage in it, regardless of whether the murderer is Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Israeli, Palestinian or whatever. That goes without saying. Certainly those Palestinian groups who encourage attacks on truly innocent people should be condemned. However, I do feel that the blame for this type of thing must also rest with those Israelis , especially the politicians, who have and continue to support this criminal settlement program, as well as the parents of this child and young adult. Had they not dragged their family into this clearly provocative enterprise of stripping the land away from its rightful owners, the measures taken by Israel in occupied Palestine would not exist and the predictable, if sometimes criminal, reactions of the native population to the crimes, injustices and oppression of occupation would not occur.
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 09:21 AM on 04/02/2009
(6) Dzairi09 See Profile I'm a Fan of Dzairi09 permalink
this was most likely not in the name of religion but in the name of you have invaded my land and you have killed members of my family therefore i will kill members of your family. The settlement in which this happened is actually an illegal settlement according to the UN because it is technically in palestinian territory.
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:13 PM on 04/02/2009
(7) chaos4700 See Profile I'm a Fan of chaos4700 permalink
This is a horrendous crime, but it's very telling that Israeli television is giving wall to wall coverage to the death of a single child while censoring images -- let alone names -- of hundreds of children killed in Operation Cast Lead alone. The Palestinians put up with attacks from Jewish settlers on a daily basis, which is something else censored from Israeli (and our) news. I'd be interested to know how many of the murderer's children have been killed by the actions of Israel. I'm guessing that will be an insight into the motives for his crime.
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:29 PM on 04/02/2009
(8) iRob08 See Profile I'm a Fan of iRob08 permalink
"Lust for murder in his eyes"? No wonder Israel can't make the right national security/foreign policy decisions. They continue to falsely characterize the actions of the Palestinians. I'm quite sure it wasn't lust, but probably acute frustration with Israel's brutal policies and America's biased support for those policies. I don't condone murder, but let's call this what it is--revenge, retaliation, an eye for an eye, etc. This wasn't lust, it was an brutal reaction to brutal policies.
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 10:09 AM on 04/02/2009
(9) skialethia See Profile I'm a Fan of skialethia permalink I vehemently condemn any attack on a child. Unfortunately as we witnessed in Gaza with over 400 children burned and dismembered in the invasion, children are the most innocent victims in this conflict. That being said. Bulldozing someone's home, stealing his land and burning his orchards constitute a crime against humanity and a highly provocative act of inhumanity. If Israel loves this land so much that it finds nothing immoral in stealing it, then it should remember King Solomon's judgment of splitting the baby to find out who loves him more, and would give him up rather than face utter tragedy. Israel's actions are proving that they don't care about the land, their children or their children's future and security. All that matters is this obsession, this lust for another"s land and a ridiculous quest to retrieve a privileged status that is dead and buried in the past. The Palestinians have been subjected to such oppression and hardship that it is not surprising to expect acts of blind rage. They have lost everything; their homes, their land, their livelihood and thousands of children over the years. When you treat a man like an animal he will respond with the rage of an animal. God bless the child. I wish his parents return the land.
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:14 PM on 04/02/2009
(10) SpaghettyIrish See Profile I'm a Fan of SpaghettyIrish permalink
Tragic for the children, their families, and their community.
But what do they expect for building their homes on other people's land?
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:42 PM on 04/02/2009
See the continuation of this story here:
4/2/09: Ax Murder Of Shlomo Nativ - A Grim Addendum
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