بتسيلم – عائلة الزويدي
בצלם – משפחת אלזווידי
NOTE: The photos above from the original Humanize Palestine website, have their names reversed, Mahmoud (Age 26) is on the left and Mohammad (Age 19) is on the right
THE B’TSELEM FALSE NARRATIVE:
(taken from the B’Tselem webpage)
Mahmoud ‘Abd al-Hamid Hussein a-Zwiedi
26 years old, resident of Beit Hanun, North Gaza District, killed on 19 Jul 2014 in Beit Hanoun, North Gaza District, by a shell. Did not participate in hostilities. Additional information: Killed in his sister’s home along with four members of his family.
Muhammad Khaled Jamil a-Zwiedi
19 years old, resident of Beit Hanun, North Gaza District, killed on 19 Jul 2014 in Beit Hanoun, North Gaza District, by a shell. Did not participate in hostilities. Additional information: Killed at home along with four members of his family.
THE FALSE NARRATIVE
“Did not participate in hostilities”
THE FACTUAL NARRATIVE:
Military Advocate General (MAG Corps’)
The factual findings that were collated by the FFA Mechanism and the CIUO and presented to the MAG indicate that IDF forces did not conduct any aerial or ground strike against the house specified in the complaint and reports. Furthermore, according to the testimony of the professionals who analyzed the images submitted by the representative of the complainant and other sources of information, the damage caused to the house did not conform with the type of damage that could be caused by munitions that were in use by IDF forces. The professionals also testified that it was not possible to determine with certainty what kind of munition hit the house, nor its source. It was further determined that two of the alleged civilian casualties in the incident were military operatives in terrorist organizations operating in the Gaza Strip.
MAG CORPS’ FINDINGS
#1 The Elzowidi family WAS NOT killed by an Israeli munition.
#2 Mohammad and Mahmoud Elzowidi were military operatives in a Palestinian terrorist organization.
Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades Website, nedal.net
AL-AQSA MARTYRS’ BRIGADES FINDINGS
Mahmoud Elzowidi and Mohammad Elzowidi were al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades terror operatives.
Read Mahmoud Elzowidi’s and Mohammad Elzowidi‘s complete narrative by clicking HERE
VICTIMIZATION
The B’Tselem databases create the illusion that Palestinian combatants killed by the Israeli security apparatus are victims, victims of an “occupier“. The Mahmoud Elzowidi and Mohammad Elzowidi narratives are an example of this misinformation.
Mahmoud and Mohammad Elzowidi, B’Tselem alleges, were not terror operative combatants when they were killed by an Israeli shell.
This narrative, intentionally or unintentionally, is patently false and missing one very important material fact, Mahmoud and Mohammad Elzowidi were members of a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) , the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades. In addition they were not killed by an Israeli ordinance.
The fact that they were members of a FTO, is clearly stated by the Israeli Military Advocate General in their Fact Finding Assessment of the incident. This is corroborated by nedal.net, the website of the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades.
If the false B’Tselem narrative, they “did not participate in hostilities“, was written intentionally, it is a fraudulent statement, if unintentional, it is a false statement. At the very least, the B’Tselem narrative is patently false.
The B’Tselem narrative, false or fraudulent, creates an issue of moral legitimacy, that Israel does not adhere to conventionally accepted standards of conduct. B’Tselem alleges that the Elzowidi house was struck by an Israeli shell killing the entire Elzowidi family, all innocent civilians, suggesting a war crime was committed.
The narrative does not include the fact that it was not an Israeli shell that struck the house and it does not include the fact that Mohammad and Mahmoud were terror operative combatants. The false narrative in effect has defined the entire Elzowidi family as victims of the IDF’s policy of attacking innocent Palestinian homes. In addition, the narrative has transformed two terror operatives, Mohammad and Mahmoud Elzowidi into victims of the IDF.
Mahmoud and Mohammad Elzowidi, two terror operative combatants, re-imagined by B’Tselem as victims.