Israeli official says comment on "holocaust" was manipulated

[MikeWB]

Israeli official says comment on "holocaust" was manipulated
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
JERUSALEM - A top Israeli official is complaining that his comments were manipulated by the media when he used the word for "holocaust" to describe what Israel might do in the Gaza Strip.

However, Deputy Defence Minister Matan Vilnai concedes he should have chosen another term in Friday's controversial radio interview.


Vilnai sparked outrage in discussing Israel's response to Palestinian rocket fire.

He said that as the rocket fire grows and the range of the rockets increases the Palestinians are "are bringing upon themselves a greater 'shoah' because we will use all our strength in every way we deem appropriate."

The Hebrew word "shoah" refers to the Nazi Holocaust, but also means "disaster," and a spokesman for Vilnai immediately clarified he meant the latter.

Nonetheless, many international media outlets translated it as "holocaust" and the statement was taken by many in the Arab world to mean that Israel was threatening the Palestinians with genocide.

On Saturday, Palestinian leaders from both Hamas and Fatah called Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip, which has killed dozens of people, a "holocaust" and "genocide."

In Syria, exiled Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal described Israeli killings of civilians in Gaza as "the real Holocaust."

"It's clear to everyone that I used it to mean disaster or catastrophe," Vilnai said Sunday in an interview with Israel Army Radio, accusing the media with "manipulating" his words.

"You can use other words, absolutely," Vilnai acknowledged, "but that shouldn't divert us from the main point, which is that they are bringing a disaster on their people because of their actions."