Thursday, December 05, 2013

Liz Sly and and Loveday Morris: what a team to cover Syria and Lebanon

So who killed the Hizbullah commander and how do you make sure to absolve Israel of responsibility?  Well, first roll out a March 14 person:  "“There are so many players around who could be involved in this,” said Elie Hindy, assistant professor for international affairs at Lebanon’s Notre Dame University. “Hezbollah has created so many enemies around it — regional enemies, Islamist enemies, Israeli enemies — and that does not include invisible possibilities.”"  I don't know this dude but I really am drawn to his theory: that invisible possibilities were behind the assassinations.  In fact, invisible possibilities have been known to use car bombs in Lebanon and have invaded Lebanon many times over the years.  And then, like the New York Times, you cite unnamed people who say (as natives) that Israel is really innocent and it harbors no will toward Hizbullah or Arabs:  "But many Lebanese said the killing of Laqees was more likely linked to the country’s soaring sectarian tensions".  And then the Nicholas Blanford formula: you get a Hizbullah member or "supporter" to say the most damaging thing about Hizbullah and the most favorable thing about Israel:  "“No one believes it was Israel,” said a Hezbollah supporter."  Did this Hizbullah supporter also declares his love for Israel to you two?   And the piece concludes with another opinion by a March 14 supporter.  I read this piece and learned of Western media coverage of the Middle East what I knew not before.