Proving that public officials must read their own stories before sending them out, we found an item on the Palestinian news agency Ma’an’s website Saturday that began:
“Amnesty International’s deputy director for the Middle East and north Africa called Friday for Israel to stop using excessive force against demonstrators.”
The item continued (2nd paragraph): “Ann Harrison said reports that dozens were hurt at demonstrations were “extremely worrying, particularly in the light of frequent and persistent use of excessive force against Palestinian protesters.”
Only the third paragraph recalled that the same Ms. Harrison also had some critical things to say about the Palestinian demonstrators’ own brothers in arms, citing her statement:
“We are also concerned at reports that Palestinian Authority security forces have tried to prevent protests in areas under their control, while Hamas security forces have beaten protesters in Gaza.”
There, that last part, about Hamas beating the daylights out of their own people, that was buried way down there. Because, let’s face it, you kind of expect Hamas and the PA to beat the you-know-what out of Palestinians, it’s what they do. Israel, on the other hand, is expected to turn the other cheek.