German paper changes headline after blaming Israel for Hamas attacks
EU commissioner for combating antisemitism blasts weekly paper.
By BENJAMIN WEINTHALAN ISRAELI tank on the border of Gaza. (photo credit: REUTERS)German weeklyDie Zeit published a headline claiming Israel first attacked the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, finally correcting it after an uproar on social media unfolded.“Israel attacks Hamas in Gaza again,” read the headline on Die Zeit’s website in connection with the attack on Sunday.The publication did not note that the IDF fired in self-defense after Hamas launched missiles into Israel.The paper later changed the headline to: “Israel responds to shelling from the Gaza Strip,” adding a correction at the end of the article explaining: “Our report was initially published with a misleading title. We apologize for this error.”Katharina von Schnurbein, the first European Commission Coordinator on combating antisemitism, tweeted, “I am a big Die Zeit fan because I appreciate solid journalism, but this title is tendentious and misleading. This would be correct: ‘Israel reacts to renewed fire from Gaza.’ You can easily correct that online.”Von Schnurbein‘s statement was an atypical public criticism of a German institution. When The Jerusalem Post asked her if she would urge the EU to call for a ban of Hezbollah in Europe, she declined to answer.The US, Canada, Israel, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the Arab League and a number of Latin American countries have classified Hezbollah’s entire organization as a terrorist movement.The EU and Germany, however, have outlawed Hezbollah’s “military wing” and allows the “political wing” to raise funds and recruit new members in Europe. Hezbollah considers itself a unified movement, without separate wings.
