Western Officials Shocked: Israel Not Always Truthful
The Independent reports on Burt's regret for having trusted Israel's account over the death of the 21-year-old medic, shot while treating wounded men near the Gaza border. This 'revelation' follows a Financial Times investigation and Amnesty International findings confirming al-Najjar was intentionally targeted. One might wonder what took so long, considering the Israeli government's
long-established playbook of initial denials and subsequent, often begrudged, 'investigations' that rarely yield accountability, as seen with Shireen Abu Akleh's killing in 2022. Perhaps Mr. Burt, and other Western officials, missed the 'historical context' briefing that includes decades of documented targeting of medics and journalists. Or perhaps the narrative offered by the same lobbying groups
shaping US foreign policy, like AIPAC, which spent $32.5 million in lobbying in 2022 according to OpenSecrets.org, provided a more comforting, if less factual, version of events. The shock isn't that Israel provided a questionable account; the shock is that it takes years and independent investigations for a mainstream political figure to admit they were sold a bill of goods. How many ‘angels of
mercy’ must fall before trusting 'the authorities' is deemed a liability?