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UN: No Israeli involvement in death of Palestinian child

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    Reaction from Amb. Michael Oren

  • Duration 5:53
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An eye opening story today about the media and the Middle East it started last November when this gripping photo from the Gaza Strip meet international headlines.

It showed a Palestinian father cradling his dead baby with a caption saying the infant died after an Israeli air strike.

Now a months long investigation by the United Nations has turned up -- turned up a very different chain of events.

Yesterday I spoke with the Israeli ambassador to the United States ambassador Michael -- about the report.

The United Nations conducts a several months long investigation and concludes that in fact.

This child likely died.

They can't say unequivocally but this child likely died.

-- to Palestinian.

Rocket fired near that child's home and that this was not likely Israel's doing.

At all your reaction.

-- What's what's the United Nations this is not a not an organization known for its pro Israel stance so if -- -- United Nations is exonerating Israel of says something.

But the fact the matter is we are facing terrorist organizations.

Whose goal is to kill the maximum number of Israeli civilians.

And to create a situation.

Where me may be compelled to -- cause harm to their own civilians so that they can then.

I accuse us of war crimes they fire rockets from inside neighborhoods sometimes inside homes themselves.

-- Hezbollah in Lebanon Hamas and Gaza that not only have a military strategy.

They have a media strategy you know how the media works and how to exploit the media.

They can drag bodies out of -- -- and put them on top of rubble.

They can and grossly inflate casualty figures.

And they know that the media has -- tremendous pressure to put these stories out front without checking them thoroughly.

And then we're left with a damage and this is the case in point.

Where the media quickly up promote drop posted this this picture this picture appeared on the front pages of newspapers around the world it was.

Identified as one of the iconic images of 2012.

And by all appearance.

It's a wise and it could to deliberate attempt to mediate the -- media to make us look bad and to deny it's legitimacy and the deny its right to defend ourselves.

That and now I mean it's one of those situations.

Where you know.

You know how do you go and and put the genie back in the bottle because the Washington Post for example had at this featured prominently.

It played across four columns.

On top of its front page.

Back in November 15.

And at the time some are saying well why why would why are they doing that with pictures of Israelis who are huddling trying to avoid rocket fire why did they give this this.

Particular picture set such a prominent placement.

And is it because they wanted to advance the narrative that Israel was killing Palestinian children and what will they do now.

That it's been proven that they're caption which was the child died after an Israeli airstrike.

That's been proven that that is.

A believed it to be untrue.

Well they've issued an apology and we very much appreciate that apology that retraction.

But the damage has been done and the image yeah it has been created.

And it's not the first time this images has been left by by the media we had that experience the 2006 Lebanon war fighting his ball up 2008.

And nine fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip and -- last November.

By the same thing the failure here is -- distinguish between a democracy.

Trying to limit as much as possible a civilian damage.

And terrorists we're trying to come to inflict the maximum number of civilian damage not only on our side.

But in exploiting.

And in some ways actually encouraging civilian casualties on their own side.

In order to to.

Waged a media battle with them is at least as important as the military.

I ask you about that because the -- -- the terrorists are gonna do what they're gonna do and the but the media we are supposed to tried to get to the facts.

And it did the thing -- -- reference in 2006 in Beirut Lebanon that was a Reuters photographer who.

Made this smoke look worse.

Over Beirut that it really was he Photoshop to an image to try to make it look worse than it really was and that I eventually got fired was the truth came out that was malfeasance.

But this is something I don't know is it more subtle I mean do you think the media willingly wants to go along.

With the narrative that the Israelis are the ones who are really to blame for the damage we see.

Or do you think it's just a lazy -- which is the except the propaganda being put out because how are they really gonna get to the bottom of it without a lot of effort before press time.

While there's a -- And tendency to moral equivalency.

Which you find disturbing again we are democracy.

That was hit by 15100 rockets that were fired with a deliberate intent to kill civilians.

And we conducted operations to defend ourselves.

One -- one source which they said Israel has gone further and any other army in history to try to avoid.

Inflicting civilian casualties.

We dropped over 200000 leaflets we made 20000 phone calls 22000.

Text messages were sent.

But the Palestinian civilians warning them to evacuate areas that were about to be struck so we can defend ourselves.

Now we regard every civilian casualty that we inflict inadvertently by accident on the Palestinian side we -- that.

As a tragedy as a failure.

But in warfare where we are dealing with -- on -- -- -- firing from inside civilian areas.

There aren't going to be civilian casualties we regret them.

They celebrate the civilian casualties.

They make an end and then they use the -- the west western media to exploited in this way and it's very regrettable.

The Gaza based Palestinian center for human rights says it's still holds Israel responsible for this child's death.

The UN apparently does not see it that way after its investigation investor thank you very much for being here.

Thank you --

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