Without Access to Gaza, CNN's Reporting was Almost Fair

CNN brings us this little gem of an article:

Among the more unbelievable propaganda,

Louay Shabana, head of the agency, said more than 22,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed. Shabana put the economic destruction at more than $1.9 billion.

Twenty-two thousand buildings. Thousand. Israel killed 1,300 people, wounded 5,400 more, but damaged or destroyed almost three times that number of buildings. Talk about disproportionate. It seems Louay has a disproportionate sense of what 'damage' means. Or thousand, for that matter.

Gaza's gross domestic product was slashed by 85 percent during the 22 days of war, and it could take a year for the economy to recover, the agency said in a preliminary report.

I'm astounded by his fauxtistics and would be delighted to know where he gets his numbers from. Last I checked, GDP statistics included the West Bank, which considering Israel hasn't cut them off is, you know, the productive side of the PA. So estimates like this would be little more than, you know, made up.

85% over 19 days (three weekend days. No one works on Friday) means a total loss of PA GDP of $45.6M, including the West Bank. Probably means for the whole period of the operation they lost less than a million dollars.

Also like the "preliminary report" dodge. We learned in project management class that initial estimates can vary as much as 400% in either direction. Once you establish facts, then let me know what the losses are.

About 80 percent of crops in Gaza were destroyed, according to the agency.

First of all, we all know that Hamas was taking it to the streets. Hiding in UN facilities, hiding in schools, hiding in mosques. So now Israel was bombing farms as well? Where do they get that 80% of crops, in January were destroyed? Can we please make up one story and stick to it?

Now here's the funny part. Agriculture accounts for only 8% of Gaza's GDP anyway, so 20% of 8% of $5B (as if) is $80M. How pathetic. Gush Katif produced, annually, in excess of $120M every year in tax revenues. Gaza, which is now Judenrein, with 50 times the land available to them for agriculture, produce less than what the Jews were able to produce in their little shtetls?

Ging, UNRWA's Gaza director of operations, said the bill could reach "billions of dollars."

Get out your checkbooks for the poor poor Palestinians! The world's economies are flatlining, and Ging The Merciless demands tribute to his empire!

Streets in some northern Gaza towns were flooded with sewage, and about 50 U.N. facilities were damaged, he said.

Again, what constitutes a "U.N. facility" is only limited by the imagination of the speaker. Or reader. I bet you didn't realize that means there is a UN "facility" for every 7.2 square kilometer in Gaza. Talk about a welfare state...

CNN, which provided a more accurate and balanced picture of the war when they weren't allowed into Gaza, is slowly slipping back to becoming a propaganda mouthpiece for the Palestinians, with irrational statistics and outright fabrications pouring forth like sewage in the streets.


My source.