Israeli Police Plant Rumor That Palestinian Murder Victim Was Gay, Victim of Honor Killing
(Tikun Olam) – Earlier this week, I published a post noting that the Israeli police planted a rumor that Mohamed Abu Khdeir was gay and a victim of an honor killing by his family who was shamed by his behavior. I denounced the rumor as a fraud. I based my post on a Haaretz report that said the boy had been killed as the result of an honor killing. What followed was a festival of gay-baiting from Israeli rightists who were delighted to blame the victim for his own death based on his own “sordid” lifestyle. I knew the smears of the victim derived directly from the police. But the Israeli right counter-attacked with material like this:
That piece, in which he “completely fabricates” his entire accusation
against the Israeli police, now has over 1000 Facebook shares.— Yair Rosenberg (@Yair_Rosenberg July 4, 2014)
When skeptics like Yair Rosenberg accused me of fabricating the claim that the gay rumor originated from the police, I responded that it was obvious that the social media blitz resulted from information provided by the police to the media and their accomplices. But it wasn’t good enough for them.
Now, Amos Harel confirms my original post with a new piece in Haaretz (pictured here). It’s not yet appeared on the website in Hebrew or English:
“Immediately after the murder of the [Palestinian] boy from Shuafat, the police disseminated unfounded speculation according to which the murder had a homosexual motive.”
The police, being the vile, racist, incompetent slobs that they are, decided that until they could solve the case they’d comfort Israeli Jews with a cock and bull story that would allow them to feel smug and self-righteous and wash their hands of this horrible crime. One which we now know was committed by a cell of Jewish terrorists who spring right from the center of Jerusalem’s Orthodox-Mizrahi community.
Mekomit, the Hebrew version of 972 Magazine adds this:
“The purpose of the police was to exploit racism and ignorance of the media and its readers in order to commence a rumor mill that would divert the public’s attention from what was in all likelihood a cruel lynching by racists rightists. It worked, of course, media outlets quoted widely this explanation. On social media they deduced (as expected) that the murder victim was homosexual and responded with the requisite level of homophobia.”
- ○ Abu Khdeir, Murdered Palestinian Boy Was Forced to Drink Gasoline, Then Burned to Death
○ Palestinian Youth Kidnapped, Murdered by Three Suspected Israeli Settlers – July 1, 2014
Video of Border Police Beating Cousin of Martyred Palestinian Boy – A U.S. citizen
Continued below the fold …
Video of Border Police Beating Cousin of Martyred Palestinian Boy – A U.S. citizen [Update]
Nana has published a video (featured in this Hebrew article) of the brutal beating of U.S. citizen, Tariq Khdeir, the cousin of Mohamed Abu Khdeir, who was murdered by Israeli extremists a few days ago in East Jerusalem. His parents says he was in the yard of his uncle when he was assaulted mercilessly by two Border Police wielding truncheons. They repeatedly kicked and beat him in a display videotaped for posterity. I’ve tweeted to AP State Department correspondent Matt Lee asking him to bring this up at the Monday press briefing.
UPDATE: Apparently spurred to action by the plethora of world media reports on this story, the State Department released a statement that it was “profoundly troubled” by the beating of the Palestinian-American. That and a few bucks will buy you a Starbucks coffee. How about “outraged?” “Appalled?” How about “behavior that cannot be accepted among civilized nations?” A tad stronger rhetoric may be called for, no? Since Obama likes to use his daughters in his political speeches, perhaps he might give some thought if it was one of them beaten senseless and brought almost unconscious to Hadassah Hospital? Would the response be a bit more muscular?
Chilling Video Appears To Show Israeli Police Brutally Beating Palestinian-American Teenager
