Which side are you on?
Reader Dan Friedman notes that the AP dispatches on US wires, such as this AP story by Karen Laub, don’t come close to painting the picture of Hamas’s offensive successes as this Jerusalem Post story by Khaled Abu Toameh does. Dan comments that this "means AP’s skewed version of events in Gaza will be the ones we see and hear in the USA tonight and tomorrow," and wonders whether "that wouldn’t have anything to do with AP’s view that Abbas and Fatah are the 'moderates' in their scenario, now would it, would it?"
In Laub's AP story, for example:
Abbas-allied troops were holding their ground in most areas. Fatah forces also attacked two Hamas-controlled ministries Saturday, and have repeatedly targeted a Hamas stronghold, Gaza City's Islamic University.In Toameh's Jerusalem Post story (which also incorporates some AP reportage), the situation sounds a little dicier for Fatah:
On Saturday, security forces loyal to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas suffered a major blow when a number of their headquarters fell into the hands of Hamas gunmen in the Gaza Strip.The contrast in the reportage is striking, but it may be attributable to the fact that Toameh is a better reporter with better sources than Laub or the other AP reporters. What is more irksome is the support that the United States is extending to Abbas and Fatah. In his NRO column last week, Andrew McCarthy argues: "Not one thin dime for Abbas."Some of the security installations were completely damaged by fire while others were leveled by Hamas militiamen and their supporters. The attackers captured documents and equipment as residents rushed to loot the offices.
"This was the biggest attack of its kind on our security headquarters," a senior PA official told The Jerusalem Post. "Unfortunately, we didn't have enough forces to protect the buildings. We're very concerned that Hamas has taken over the security compounds and stolen many files."
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