As usual, during a Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the international press readily eats up all sorts of exaggerated claims made by the Arab side. This time — during Israel’s attempt to stop constant, terrorist rocket fire from Gaza — the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) was accused of shelling a UN school. Remember that during the “second intifada” in 2002, Yasir Arafat accused Israel of “massacring” thousands of Palestinians in the battle of Jenin. In fact, “The death toll was 56 Palestinians, the majority of them combatants, and 23 Israeli soldiers.” No massacre. The problem is that once the media reports on accusations leveled against Israel, it rarely steps back to correct the lies. Maybe a footnote is added to one or two stories, but the public relations damage to Israel’s image has already been done. This time, will the media report on the true facts revealed about the IDF’s “school shelling,” or Hamas’ use of its own people as human shields, or Hamas’ stealing of UN emergency supplies destined for those Palestinians who really need it? It can seem hopeless, but the truth is out there.

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