(JNi.media) On Sunday morning, a female terrorist was attempting to stab a girl in the bus station at the junction of the Samaria Regional Brigade, when former Samaria Regional Council head Gershon Mesika noticed the incident and drove his car in her direction to try and stop her. Mesika’s car ran into a ditch after hitting the terrorist. At that point, according to Elyakim Gross from Itamar, he, Gross, shot two bullets into the terrorist’s body, and a soldier who had rushed over also shot her twice.
The “official Fatah” Facebook page offered an entirely different narrative:
“What happened at Hawara checkpoint. A witness said that Ashraqat Taha, 16-years-old, she wanted to cross the street near the barrier as a BMW vehicle run over her and then a settler got out from his car, his name is Mesika, the Chairman of the Council of Jewish settlements in the northern West Bank ,and he opened fire directly on the girl and then the Israeli soldiers came to the scene of the shooting and fired 10 bullets on the girl, Later they found that the girl was carrying a bag with her own laptop and then throw the knife next to her.”
Two radically different narratives, except the first one is supported by at least four eyewitness reports cited widely in Israeli media, and the second one cites an anonymous witness. And there’s the terrorist’s father, Taha Qatanani, who told a Palestinian news agency (see Google-translated page):
“Thank God my daughter has done what needs to be done … I am proud of every one of [my children].”
He also said his daughter constantly asked about current events, and was always asking her mother for “the best knives in the house.” (H/T Elder of Zion).
Not enough, apparently, to convince the official Fatah Facebook page, which published a picture of Gershon Mesika with crosshairs, urging people to assassinate him.
JNi.media complained to Facebook about the offending image, which was accompanied by the caption: “Killer of 16-year-old Girl at the checkpoint.”
Meanwhile, the same Fatah official Facebook page announced that “The Ministry of Health officially announces the martyrdom of the girl Ashraqat Taha, 16, years of Nablus (Shechem) near the Hawara checkpoint.”
JNi.media Received this response from Facebook to our complaint:
“We reviewed your report of حركة التحرير الوطني الفلسطيني ” فتح “/الصفحة الرسمية’s photo.
“Thank you for taking the time to report something that you feel may violate our Community Standards. Reports like yours are an important part of making Facebook a safe and welcoming environment. We reviewed the photo you reported for containing graphic violence and found it doesn’t violate our Community Standards.”
Update: The incitement to murder post has now been removed.