West Bank Propaganda War

"The Israeli assault on the West Bank town of Jenin has produced dramatically different media accounts," says Washington Post media reporter Howard Kurtz. "The British press is playing it as a massacre, while American newspapers say there's no such evidence. How on earth can journalists visiting the same refugee camp reach such different conclusions?" Even conservative British media, such as the Economist, report that "the evidence of the Israeli army's absolute negligence in trying to protect civilian life is everywhere." The BBC quotes British forensics experts, working with Amnesty International, who compare the situation in Jenin to Bosnia and Kosovo. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer, meanwhile, is working to direct more outrage at the Palestinians by trying to replace the term "suicide bomber" with "homicide bomber". In a similar vein, the Wall Street Journal opines, "Whatever his rough edges, Ariel Sharon is clearly following that Bush principle trying to defend his civilians against suicide bombers."