If there was ever a shred of doubt as to which side the press is taking in the Israel/Palestine conflict, this photograph ought to douse it with a healthy dollop of reality. Pay particular attention to the right-hand side:
Palestinian Hamas supporters burn Israeli flags during a rally organised by the Hamas movement to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its foundation, in Gaza December 15, 2007. Hamas threatened to launch a new uprising against Israel on Saturday when hundreds of thousands of Islamist supporters rallied in Gaza City to mark the group's 20th anniversary. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem
You see, burning an Israeli flag is important enough to send every photographer you have. Especially at a celebration of the 20th anniversary of a group wholly dedicated to the destruction of Israel.
I'm combing through other photos of today's festivities—I'll post them beyond the fold if there's anything interesting.
Also, thanks to the work of another intrepid pair of bloggers, I might have more material from Rage Boy: Palestine as well. From the looks of things so far, he is definitely operating from the same handbook as the real Rage Boy, so I'll definitely be doing my best to dig into his history, and will be trying to get some other information from sources on the ground—be sure to stay tuned for a hefty update on him in the next day or so.Aww, how cute:
A Palestinian boy with a mock weapon is held by Hamas suporters as they attend a rally in Gaza city, Saturday, Dec. 15, 2007. Hamas marked the 20th anniversary of its founding with a huge rally Saturday, sending a message of strength and defiance even as it is struggling to keep Gaza afloat. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Oh, and if you think that Hamas is backtracking on its official policy of "Death to Israel," you're still woefully mistaken:
Palestinian Prime Minister of the Hamas government in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, waves a Palestinian and a green Hamas flag in front of Hamas supporters during a rally in Gaza city, Saturday, Dec. 15, 2007. Hamas marked the 20th anniversary of its founding with a huge rally Saturday, sending a message of strength and defiance even as it is struggling to keep Gaza afloat. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Here's a shot taken by one of the unthinking pack-journalists pictured at the top of this post:
Palestinian Hamas supporters burn Israeli flags during a rally in Gaza city, Saturday, Dec. 15, 2007. Hamas marked the 20th anniversary of its founding with a huge rally Saturday, sending a message of strength and defiance even as it is struggling to keep Gaza afloat. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Tags: suhaib salem khalil hamra emilio morenatti REUTERS AP #Intifada
