With Emphasis

Palestinian terrorists murdered an Ecuadorian volunteer who was staying in Israel after he and several other workers on a kibbutz came under sniper fire as they were trying to retrieve tractors that were abandoned after mortars and rockets fell on the kibbutz. His name is Carlos Andres Chavez. He was 20. MSNBC didn't bother with those details. That should be the headline, but it isn't. Israel's response against the terrorists operating in Gaza was the headline and it was the bulk of the story.

Israel killed 14 of them. Three civilians were killed, and 48 were injured in the fighting between Hamas and Israeli forces. Yet, MSNBC sees fit to focus on Israel's response, and not what precipitated it. It gives short shrift to the incessant terrorism, and thinks that coverage of the situation in Israel is appropriate only when Israel conducts military operations against Palestinian terrorists.

The 48 others were hurt because the Palestinian terrorists think nothing of using civilians as human shields.

The clashes Tuesday began when undercover Israeli troops moved several hundred yards into the territory to strike an abandoned house east of Gaza City that militants used to launch rockets, Hamas said.

When Palestinian militants discovered the force, an exchange of fire erupted, the militants said. In the ensuing clashes, Israeli tanks fired shells and aircraft struck twice, Hamas said.

“Israel is acting to protect its civilian population from these daily rocket barrages,” Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said.

In all, 14 Palestinian fighters and three civilians, including a 65-year-old man, were killed by the time the operation wound up in early afternoon, militants and doctors said. Forty-eight people were wounded, among them an 8-year-old boy who was seriously hurt, medical officials said.

Dr. Moaiya Hassanain of the Gaza Health Ministry said many of the dead and wounded lost limbs. Because of the high number of casualties, Hassanain questioned whether Israeli troops were using tank-fired flechette shells, an anti-personnel weapon that throws out thousands of metal darts.

The Palestinians think nothing of using rat poison in their explosives, to reduce the ability of those injured to clot. Yet, they're quick to trot out theories over the kind of weapons used by the Israelis to defend themselves against terrorists who have tried to kill and main Israelis for years.

Israel is barely doing what is sufficient to protect itself from Israel's enemies - a lack of political leadership will do that. Olmert is incapable of doing what is necessary to eliminate the terrorist threat in Gaza and West Bank, and thinks that his salvation rests in negotiating with the terrorist group Fatah.

Hamas has taken credit for the murder on the kibbutz. Among those killed by the Israeli forces was the son of Hamas thug Mahmoud Zahar. Of course, Abbas thinks that Israel's actions of self defense are nothing less than a slaughter and barbaric operation.

PA President Mahmoud Abbas described the operation as an "Israeli slaughter in Gaza." Abbas said Israel was carrying out barbaric operations that undermined the peace process

If only he would speak of the Palestinian terrorism emanating from Gaza and West Bank on a daily basis in such terms. Of course, he wont, and he has no problem with the Palestinian body count - because it furthers his media war against Israel.

Meanwhile, President Bush thinks that the failure of past peace overtures was because of the lack of Arab involvement. Here's a clue Mr. President - it has nothing to do with Arab involvement and everything to do with the fact that the Palestinians do not want a two-state solution. They want nothing less than the destruction of Israel, and the incessant terrorist attacks are proof-positive of this. The attacks actually increase every time there's a push for peace - complete with Israeli concessions that are rebuffed by Palestinians without even the courtesy of a counter proposal.

Arab Members of the Knesset are busy undermining Israel as well - complaining that Israel's actions in Gaza are nothing less than war crimes. If only they would complain about Palestinian terrorism in such terms.

The terrorists continue firing missiles at Israel, including a Grad missile that hit Ashkelon. Kassams and mortars also slammed into the Negev.

UPDATE:
Israellycool notes just how badly the Palestinian thugs massacre the meaning of the word massacre. They've got a willing and compliant media that pushes their agitprop daily.

This was not a massacre. It was a pitched gun battle started when Palestinian terrorists opened fire on Israeli civilians and the Israeli military responded by going after those terrorists and a firefight ensued. Tank and air support assisted the Israelis in killing a number of terrorists. No massacre - only just desserts for terrorists who sought to kill as many Israelis as possible in their incessant attacks.

And through it all, the terrorists continue firing rockets at Sderot.

UPDATE:
The rocket war continues, and so do the Israeli casualties.

This makes for interesting reading (translated via hartabuna at LGF), but it is of little comfort to Israelis living in range of the terrorist rockets and mortars. If you're living in Sderot or near Gaza, those words aren't nearly as comforting knowing that the rockets continue flying overhead or slamming into your homes and businesses and schools. Palestinian terrorism remains very real and very deadly. Israel has still not determined that it is in its best interests to go after the terrorist groups will full force, thinking that something less than full force could defeat the terrorists.

This decision gives the terrorists hope, which is powerful indeed. It is not the language of the defeated, but one that thinks that the Palestinian cause can outlast Israel.