Solomonia: Darkness at Noon - MSM Plays Along with Hamas Photo Staging To Deceive Us

Jan 30, 2008 at 12:21 PM
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Thursday, January 24, 2008

Darkness at Noon -- MSM Plays Along with Hamas Photo Staging (Updated)

The Hamas leader of the Gaza Strip , Ismail Haniyeh , left, and Gaza's Hamas strongman, Mahmoud Zahar, are seen during a cabinet meeting held in candle light in solidarity with the residents of Gaza, in Gaza City, Tuesday Jan. 22, 2008. The latest round of Israel-Gaza fighting erupted last week, amid a spike in rocket fire on Israeli border communities, and prompted Israel to seal the territory and cut off fuel supplies. Gaza's power plant shut down, cutting off electricity to about one-third of Gaza's residents, and international aid groups warned they may have to suspend food distribution to hundreds of thousands of people by the end of the week for lack of truck fuel. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)

Khaled Abu Toameh: 'Hamas staged some of the blackouts'

On at least two occasions this week, Hamas staged scenes of darkness as part of its campaign to end the political and economic sanctions against the Gaza Strip, Palestinian journalists said Wednesday.

In the first case, journalists who were invited to cover the Hamas government meeting were surprised to see Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and his ministers sitting around a table with burning candles.

In the second case on Tuesday, journalists noticed that Hamas legislators who were meeting in Gaza City also sat in front of burning candles.

But some of the journalists noticed that there was actually no need for the candles because both meetings were being held in daylight.

"They had closed the curtains in the rooms to create the impression that Hamas leaders were also suffering as a result of the power stoppage," one journalist told The Jerusalem Post. "It was obvious that the whole thing was staged."

Another journalist said he and his colleagues were told to wait for a few minutes before entering the chamber of the Palestinian Legislative Council so that each legislator would have time to light his candle. He said that when he saw that the curtains had been closed to prevent the light from entering, he realized that Hamas was trying to manipulate the media for political gain.

Update: Jerusalem Posts emails some more photos [Note the sunlight behind the curtains.]:

Palestinian lawmakers attend a parliament session in candlelight during a power cut in Gaza January 22, 2008. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

Palestinian lawmakers attend a parliament session in candlelight during a power cut in Gaza January 22, 2008. Israel agreed to allow some fuel, medicine and food into the Hamas-run Gaza Strip on Tuesday, at least temporarily easing a blockade that has plunged much of the territory into darkness and sparked international protests. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA)

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