Three Palestinians were killed by the Israeli Army last night in Gaza.
Oh, wait! They weren’t Palestinians! They were Egyptian policemen! Oops!
If you ever wondered what an Israeli apology looked like, now one actually exists:
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon telephoned Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to express regret over the incident, which could derail the Egyptian foreign minister’s first visit to the Jewish state next week to discuss a planned Israeli pullout from Gaza.
Sharon promised a full investigation and to share findings with the Egyptians. Israeli military officials said soldiers had mistaken the Egyptian policemen for Palestinian militants and thought they were planting explosives against Israeli forces.
“From the bottom of our hearts, we are sorry,” Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told reporters.
In light of that example, it’s interesting to revisit some Gaza killings the Israelis weren’t sorry about, like British cameraman James Miller who was shot by an IDF sniper, American peace activist Rachel Corrie who was crushed by an IDF armored D9 military bulldozer, and British peace activist Tom Hurndall, shot by the IDF while trying to get Palestinian children to safety. None of these deaths were worthy of an Israeli apology. Oh, and all those dead Palestinians? They aren’t even sorry for shooting little girls and boys.