Just days later, CNN’s Ben Wedeman filed a report from the region in which he glowingly praised these terrorists’ efforts to bring “law and order in the new Gaza.”
In a video segment that was aired at various times Thursday, Wedeman exclusively interviewed Gaza residents who seemed thrilled now that Hamas has wrested control of the region.
At the same time, no mention was given to: the killing that preceded his interviews, or the number of injured waiting for medical assistance and/or to be evacuated.
Maybe even worse, not one disgrunted resident was questioned (video available here, h/t NB member Allanf):
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sergeant (INAUDIBLE) has a daunting task to teach Gaza's troublesome donkey cart drivers and unruly motorists a bit of manners. Cooperate with us he tells them. This is the executive course, a militia formed by Hamas now expectedly the local police force.
In recent years, Gaza became synonymous with chaos, a place where respect for the law was optional. Now that's set to change. Sergeant (INAUDIBLE) explains to watermelon vendors to move their goods off the road. I'm writing this down in my book, he says. You need to do it today. When I come back later I want all of this out of here.
Vendor (INAUDIBLE) tells me he's happy to obey the new sheriff in town. Before there was no security, he says. Now, thank God there is and we're happy. In America, it's doughnuts, in Gaza, a cup of coffee helps win over the cops. This is law and order in the new Gaza, men who a week ago were busy in battle are now trying to remind the people of this city of long forgotten traffic rules.
And in a place where guns, lots of them, were regularly paraded and fired in the streets, these men say they're trying to change old ways. We have orders to stop and arrest anyone with weapons in the street who is not a policemen, says Sergeant (INAUDIBLE).
This is the easy part, a terrorist organization in the eyes of the United States and Israel, Hamas now has to organize life for the 1.5 million people living here.
How disgraceful, Ben. How about the residents that are either being evacuated or are trying to flee the region as reported by the New York Times Friday (emphasis added):
Israel separately said that it continued to evacuate badly wounded Palestinians from Gaza for medical treatment inside Israel and was delivering milk, animal feed, medical supplies and fuel oil to Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing, since the main crossing at Karni remains shut. Israel says the Palestinians have not organized the Karni crossing at their end; Hamas officials say they are prepared to do so, but Israel does not want to coordinate with them.
United Nations aid agencies said in Geneva today that to avoid a longer-term crisis, it is vital to reopen Karni, which can handle up to 200 trucks a day, while Kerem Shalom can only handle 15.
Hmmm. You certainly didn’t get a sense from Wedeman’s report that there was any crisis in Gaza now that those wonderful folks from Hamas have taken over, did you?
