Whitewashing a murder...

Israel has just committed another high-profile murder in the West Bank killing 55-year-old Ziad Abu Ein, a minister without portfolio in the Palestinian government. According to the BBC, he 'was among dozens of foreign and Palestinian activists taking part in a protest against land confiscations.'

Abu Ein was in charge of monitoring Israeli activities related to the Annexation Wall and the construction of Jewish-only colonies in the occupied West Bank.

He joined local and international protesters, armed with 'olive saplings' to commemorate the International Human Rights Day. They had planned to plant the symbols of peace on land owned by the Palestinian village of Turmus Aiya, which was earmarked for annexation to the Jewish-only colony of Shiloh.

The Israeli occupying troops were waiting for the olive sapling's invasion led by Abu Ein. According to Reut Mor an Israeli, who took part in the march, 'There was no provocation or stone-throwing, no violence by the protesters. Straight away, the soldiers used tear gas and stun grenades on people.'

Moments before he was murdered and standing in the middle of a group of Israeli soldiers, the minister spoke live to TV reporters, 'This is an occupying terrorising army... we came here to plant trees. We are peaceful. No one was violent, yet we were attacked brutally by this terrorist army.'

According the AFP and Reuters photographers at the scene, Israeli soldiers grabbed Abu Ein before striking him with their rifle butts on the neck and chest. The Israeli military issued its typical statement, which follows the army's slaying of civilians '“ changing only the name of the deceased '“ claiming that it's already investigating the incident. Looking at its long history, however, Israel uses the investigation to provide a legal cover to justify murders and to mute international calls for an independent probe.

The real Israeli sentiment regarding the incident came from Lt Col (ret) Meir Indor who was less inhibited when he declared that Abu Ein's 'death leaves Israel with one less enemy.'

Meanwhile, Israeli yellow journalism started a public relations campaign to absolve the army of the murder and a character assassination against the minister.

Several stories were seeded and picked up by Zionist reporters throughout the world and by gullible journalists without authenticating the veracity of reports.

One such story picked up by the BBC was intended to whitewash Abu Ein's murder by claiming that '...he had a health condition that may have contributed to his death.' Another report in the Jerusalem Post claimed that the victim was a member of the 'Revolutionary Council, commonly known as the Abu Nidal terrorist organisation.'

Abu Ein was a ranking member of the Fatah revolutionary council, led by Mahmoud Abbas. Western journalists lacking command of the Arabic language to differentiate between two similar names, ended up wittingly or unwittingly repeating the Israeli lies without verification.

But this is just a prototype of how Western readers are inculcated daily by Zionists' yellow journalism.

* Mr Kanj (www.jamalkanj.com) writes regular newspaper column and publishes on several websites on Arab world issues. He is the author of “Children of Catastrophe,” Journey from a Palestinian Refugee Camp to America. A version of this article was first published by the Gulf Daily News newspaper.