Israel targeted by “flood libel”
Dec 29, 2022 20:18:35 GMT -5
Post by shalom on Dec 29, 2022 20:18:35 GMT -5
Israel targeted by “flood libel”
Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
ANTISEMITISM, MIDDLE EAST
DECEMBER 29, 2022
Home » Israel targeted by “flood libel”
GAZA STRIP RAIN
After heavy rains fell on the region in the past few days, some Arab media have falsely accused Israel of causing flooding in Gaza.
On Monday, WAFA news, the official outlet for the Palestinian Authority, published an article titled, “As if the heavy rain was not enough, Israel opens rainwater ducts to flood Gaza towns, destroy lands”. According to the WAFA report, after two days of rain, the Israeli authorities made the flooding in Gaza worse “by opening the ducts in the dams located on the Israeli side of the border fence.
The only dam in Israel is the Degania Dam, located on the Jordan River at the southern end of the Sea of Galilee that regulates water levels in the Sea of Galilee and the flow of water into the Jordan River. The distance between the dam and Gaza is roughly 200 kilometers and since it is over 200 meters lower than Gaza, it would be impossible for any water released from the dam to arrive at Gaza.
The article on WAFA was followed by another article in the Middle East Monitor (MEMO), a pro-Palestinian website that supports Islamist causes. The outlet published a report under the headline, “Israel floods Gaza after opening dam gates.” The article quoted Deputy Minister for Local Governance, Zuhdi al Ghreez, who said, “Large swathes of the city of Deir al Balah, in the middle sector of the Gaza Strip were submerged with water coming from the Israeli dams.”
“Palestinian municipalities across the Gaza Strip have been doing their best to keep life functioning and prevent damage to streets, homes, and different infrastructures,” it continued. “Their tasks have been compounded by the lack of adequate equipment due to the Israeli ban on the entry of different emergency tools.”
The Head of the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions, Sami al-Amasi, released a statement condemning Israel for a “crime against humanity”.
“While the IOA [Israel Occupation Authority, i.e. Israel] has been retaining water in dams, it opens their floodgates to get rid of excess water, especially in the winter season,” Amasi said.
These accusations by the Palestinians arise every winter and have been picked up by foreign media. CAMERA, a media watchdog website, reported that in 2015, the French news service AFP posted a story with a video headlined “Gaza village floods after Israel opens dam gates”.
Another article was published at the same time in Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper blaming Israel’s electric company for the flooding.
“Hundreds of Palestinians left homeless after Israel opens a river dam and floods houses… hours before Jewish state’s electric company cuts off power in West Bank cities,” read the initial Daily Mail headline.
This claim was also published in Al Jazeera and Russia Today. These articles were later retracted.
This claim was also made in 2010 by the Turkish humanitarian NGO, Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH).
Israel has provided Gaza with large amounts of material for construction intended for civilian infrastructure, transferring 4,680 trucks carrying 181 thousand tons of gravel, iron, cement, wood, and other supplies since the beginning of 2014. But much of it is diverted by Hamas for terrorism. Rather than build a system of storm drains, Hamas has spent an estimated $90 million annually on terror tunnels.
From 2014 to 2020, UN agencies spent close to $4.5 billion in the Strip, including $600 million in 2020 alone. Qatar has provided $1.3 billion in aid to Gaza since 2012 for construction, health services, and agriculture. Germany and other European countries will spend nearly $80 million on water projects in Gaza this year, in addition to their contributions to UNRWA.
This aid is intended to be used for humanitarian purposes and infrastructure which would alleviate the flooding in Gaza. But most of this aid goes through Hamas which controls the government of Gaza. Hamas allocates 55% of its budget to fund its military needs and its share in the rehabilitation of Gaza is less than 5% of the total investment.
A report by the IDF revealed that Hamas’ financial reports reveal that tens of millions of dollars designated for rebuilding Gaza were actually being invested in real estate projects in Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Dubai.
Blood libel is an antisemitic canard that falsely accuses Jews of murdering Christian boys in order to use their blood in the performance of religious rituals. Though entirely baseless, blood libels that began in 12th-century England are still being made today. So too, this ‘flood libel’ has no basis in reality yet reappears every year in the media.
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Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
ANTISEMITISM, MIDDLE EAST
DECEMBER 29, 2022
Home » Israel targeted by “flood libel”
GAZA STRIP RAIN
After heavy rains fell on the region in the past few days, some Arab media have falsely accused Israel of causing flooding in Gaza.
On Monday, WAFA news, the official outlet for the Palestinian Authority, published an article titled, “As if the heavy rain was not enough, Israel opens rainwater ducts to flood Gaza towns, destroy lands”. According to the WAFA report, after two days of rain, the Israeli authorities made the flooding in Gaza worse “by opening the ducts in the dams located on the Israeli side of the border fence.
The only dam in Israel is the Degania Dam, located on the Jordan River at the southern end of the Sea of Galilee that regulates water levels in the Sea of Galilee and the flow of water into the Jordan River. The distance between the dam and Gaza is roughly 200 kilometers and since it is over 200 meters lower than Gaza, it would be impossible for any water released from the dam to arrive at Gaza.
The article on WAFA was followed by another article in the Middle East Monitor (MEMO), a pro-Palestinian website that supports Islamist causes. The outlet published a report under the headline, “Israel floods Gaza after opening dam gates.” The article quoted Deputy Minister for Local Governance, Zuhdi al Ghreez, who said, “Large swathes of the city of Deir al Balah, in the middle sector of the Gaza Strip were submerged with water coming from the Israeli dams.”
“Palestinian municipalities across the Gaza Strip have been doing their best to keep life functioning and prevent damage to streets, homes, and different infrastructures,” it continued. “Their tasks have been compounded by the lack of adequate equipment due to the Israeli ban on the entry of different emergency tools.”
The Head of the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions, Sami al-Amasi, released a statement condemning Israel for a “crime against humanity”.
“While the IOA [Israel Occupation Authority, i.e. Israel] has been retaining water in dams, it opens their floodgates to get rid of excess water, especially in the winter season,” Amasi said.
These accusations by the Palestinians arise every winter and have been picked up by foreign media. CAMERA, a media watchdog website, reported that in 2015, the French news service AFP posted a story with a video headlined “Gaza village floods after Israel opens dam gates”.
Another article was published at the same time in Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper blaming Israel’s electric company for the flooding.
“Hundreds of Palestinians left homeless after Israel opens a river dam and floods houses… hours before Jewish state’s electric company cuts off power in West Bank cities,” read the initial Daily Mail headline.
This claim was also published in Al Jazeera and Russia Today. These articles were later retracted.
This claim was also made in 2010 by the Turkish humanitarian NGO, Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH).
Israel has provided Gaza with large amounts of material for construction intended for civilian infrastructure, transferring 4,680 trucks carrying 181 thousand tons of gravel, iron, cement, wood, and other supplies since the beginning of 2014. But much of it is diverted by Hamas for terrorism. Rather than build a system of storm drains, Hamas has spent an estimated $90 million annually on terror tunnels.
From 2014 to 2020, UN agencies spent close to $4.5 billion in the Strip, including $600 million in 2020 alone. Qatar has provided $1.3 billion in aid to Gaza since 2012 for construction, health services, and agriculture. Germany and other European countries will spend nearly $80 million on water projects in Gaza this year, in addition to their contributions to UNRWA.
This aid is intended to be used for humanitarian purposes and infrastructure which would alleviate the flooding in Gaza. But most of this aid goes through Hamas which controls the government of Gaza. Hamas allocates 55% of its budget to fund its military needs and its share in the rehabilitation of Gaza is less than 5% of the total investment.
A report by the IDF revealed that Hamas’ financial reports reveal that tens of millions of dollars designated for rebuilding Gaza were actually being invested in real estate projects in Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Dubai.
Blood libel is an antisemitic canard that falsely accuses Jews of murdering Christian boys in order to use their blood in the performance of religious rituals. Though entirely baseless, blood libels that began in 12th-century England are still being made today. So too, this ‘flood libel’ has no basis in reality yet reappears every year in the media.
link
