Black propaganda

Reuters correspondent Nidal al-Mughrabi, who writes fiction masquerading as news, tries his hand again at persuading readers that shops and market stalls in the Gaza Strip are only now receiving goods following the easing of the embargo:

Ramadan, the Muslim holy month where the devout fast by day and feast at night, is different in Gaza this year thanks to the partial relaxation of Israel's blockade, allowing shops to fill with special items for the occasion.

Colourful lines of candies, dairy products, pickles, dates and snacks crowd market stall and shelves of stores in Gaza City's main market that were scantily stocked last year...

Most of the Mediterranean coastal territory's 1.5 million people rely on U.N. food aid trucked in daily from Israel to sustain life, but this consists of necessary staples only.

It's a testament to the power and persistence of Reuters black propaganda efforts on behalf of the Palestinians, that despite the publication of numerous eyewitness accounts in newspapers and hundreds of photos appearing on websites over the last few years evidencing a plentiful supply of both food staples and specialty items in Gaza, the agency's correspondents make no apology for peddling the lie of destitution.  All of the photos below were taken in Gaza in preparation for the month of Ramadan over the years 2007, 2008, and 2009:

Al-Mughrabi follows this mendacious tale of historical food shortages with:

In addition to being short of cash, Gaza suffers a crisis of electricity. Chronic power shortages make most people wary of stockpiling food in freezers. Fresh food merchants worry constantly about their stock rotting in the summer heat.

It's not until six paragraphs down, in the final line of the story, that we can infer (al-Mughrabi does not explicitly say here but explained last week) that the latest power shortages are due, not to Israel, but to payment disputes between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.