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No Diplomatic Crisis Seen after Al Jazeera Reporter's Death


(Israel Hayom) Ariel Kahana - Immediately after the reports of Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh's death, a quick and clear response from Israel was imperative. Unlike the Palestinians, who took the liberty of unequivocally determining that Israel was responsible without providing any factual evidence, Israel is an orderly country. To get caught in a lie down the road would be worse than claiming things right now that sound beneficial. One hour after her death, the IDF Spokesperson issued a statement whereby, apparently, the Palestinians themselves murdered her in the midst of a gunfight. His words had been translated to Arabic and English and sent to international news outlets and foreign reporters. At the same time, a video was released to support the Israeli claim. The quick release of an Israeli version upended the Palestinians' exclusivity and established Israel's position. Israel's efforts bore fruit. Within four hours, most of the major news outlets in the world had already highlighted the Israeli position. It wasn't the headline, but Israel's doubts regarding the Palestinian version of events were at least given expression. In the diplomatic arena, no serious country came out in condemnation of Israel. The US, UK, EU and UN simply asked for an investigation - which is precisely Israel's position. Israel's Foreign Ministry received no reprimands. An Israeli official summarized: "There is no crisis."
2022-05-16 00:00:00
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