ZOA praised the fact that during the White House October 26 press conference, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby correctly stated: “we all know that the Gazan Ministry of Health is just a front for Hamas. It’s . . . run by Hamas, a terrorist organization. . . . We can’t take anything coming out of Hamas, including the so-called Ministry of Health, at face value.” As an example, Kirby cited the “Gaza Ministry of Health’s” false claim that an Israeli airstrike killed 500 Gazans at a hospital. “We know that’s not true,” Kirby explained, adding that the casualty numbers were much lower [actually 10-12 killed] and the strike was from a misfired terrorist rocket launched in Gaza. [The hospital was not even hit; the misfired PIJ rocket launch landed in the hospital parking lot.]
Regarding the U.N., Al Jazeera and certain other media outlets using the so-called Gaza Ministry of Health figures, Kirby properly advised: “if you’re going to report casualty figures out of Gaza, I would frankly recommend you don’t choose numbers put out by an organization that’s run by a terrorist organization.” Kirby also correctly called Al Jazeera’s claim that Israel was targeting journalists “an unfounded allegation,” and said “I’ve seen absolutely zero evidence of that.”
It is gratifying that the White House is finally calling out the propaganda initiated by the Hamas-controlled so-called Gaza Ministry of Health. But it’s time for the White House to apply to the PLO/Palestinian Authority terror regime the same basic principle Kirby enunciated, that we must “not take anything coming from terrorist organizations at face value.”
The Palestinian Authority continues to foment terror and pay Palestinian Arabs $400 million per year to murder Jews. The PA’s governing party, Fatah, is calling Hamas’ atrocities “a heroic operation,” and bragging, in support of Hamas: “Our fighters are currently recording spectacular epics of heroism and sacrifice.” Yet, when Kirby was asked about a PA/PLO-controlled “West Bank Ministry of Health’s” [totally false] claim that there were 100 “Palestinians killed by extremist settlers,” Kirby absurdly, outrageously said that he knew of “no dispute” with the numbers. Kirby failed to even mention that any Palestinian Arabs killed in Judea/Samaria were terrorists who were attempting to murder Israelis. President Biden and his administration’s use of the term “extremist settlers” and their implication that these “settlers” are killing ordinary Palestinians, is a huge, dangerous, antisemitic lie and insult to the 500,000 peaceful Jews living in the historic, lawful Jewish lands of Judea/Samaria.
The PLO/PA controlled “West Bank Ministry of Health” and the Hamas-controlled “Gaza Ministry of Health” are cut from the exact same despicable, deceptive cloth.
It is also deeply troubling that in the same press conference, Kirby reiterated the Biden administration’s goal of creating a Palestinian (terror) state. Kirby said the administration has been working hard for this, and that such a state “still has to be the goal we’re driving to.” A Palestinian Arab state (would clearly be controlled by Iran) in Judea/Samaria would launch countless more October 7ths against innocent Jews.
It was also deeply disturbing that Kirby praised Al Jazeera “as a valuable voice” during the same press conference. Al Jazeera is now touting clips of Kirby’s statement. In fact, Qatari-funded Al Jazeera is one of the world’s worst defamers of Israel. It is inexplicable that Kirby would say anything positive about Al Jazeera, when during the same press conference, Kirby explained that Al Jazeera lied about the alleged hospital bombing and made an unfounded anti-Israel allegation about targeting journalists. When ZOA President Morton A. Klein met with and presented ZOA’s demands to Qatari officials in 2018, ZOA demanded an end to Al Jazeera’s libelous anti-Israel propaganda, and presented twenty (20) pages of examples of falsehood-filled anti-Israel Al Jazeera videos.