Family of 'baby bomber' says photograph was 'just a joke'

Ha'aretz Daily ^ | 6-28-2002

[Guillermo]

Family of 'baby bomber' says photograph was 'just a joke'

By Ha'aretz Service and agencies

	The picture of a Palestinian baby dressed as a suicide bomber found in Hebron. (Photo: IDF)

The family of Palestinian baby photographed wearing a mock suicide bomber's uniform - replete with sticks of 'explosives' and the traditional martyr's red headband -told Sky News on Friday that the costume was nothing more than a 'joke.'

The Israel Defense Force published the photograph Thursday, saying that it had been removed from an album found in the house of a suspected terrorist in Hebron. The house was later destroyed.

The authenticity of the photograph could not be verified, but its publication in Israeli newspapers on Friday triggered a new war of words between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

A Palestinian journalist in the Hebron area said she did not believe the picture was a fake and expressed surprise at the furor it caused in Israel.

"I can find you many, many photos like this," she told DPA. "Many kids imitate adults and wear toy masks and guns, especially during marches. It's not strange at all.

She added that she had seen children as young as the one in the photograph wearing similar costumes.

"In our society it happens a lot. It's a kind of phenomenon," she said, adding blue eyes were also not rare in Hebron.

The army did not release the name of the family or say whether it thought the bomb-belt was real.

"What is obvious is that Palestinians are feeding the hatred of Jews and Israelis to their children at the earliest possible age," said David Baker, an official in the office of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Palestinian officials dismissed it as a propaganda trick.

"This is cheap Israeli propaganda. They are using this photo to justify Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people and to go on with their occupation of the Palestinian territories," Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo said.

"These photos can easily be forged and distributed, and this has been done by the Israeli media several times before."

Ordinary Palestinians said if the photograph were genuine it was likely the child had been dressed up for fun and did not mean Palestinians were about to use children in suicide bombings.

Children have been seen dressed up as suicide bombers at school ceremonies and rallies supporting militants spearheading a 21-month-old uprising against Israeli occupation.

Asked whether the army would take reporters to the house to verify the authenticity of the photograph, an army spokeswoman said this was not immediately possible because Hebron was a 'closed military zone' from which journalists were barred.

[Guillermo]

Of course, the photos, videos, etc are never real. They're always fabrications, even when they come from Islamic sources.

[Dog Gone]

As a Halloween costume, it carries some authority.

[pikachu]

I can just imagine somebody doing that in the US and having the Walmart photo developer report it as child abuse.

[mhking]

One f'in sick joke; and one that would earn a parent (and I use the term loosely) a visit from CPS authorities, were it in the US.

[Texaggie79]

I'm on the fence here. I mean, sure I think the Palestinians are sick busturds. But if it were some one else doing the joke, like a parody website, it would be hilarious....

[Aquinasfan]

One f'in sick joke

Absolutely.

[Guillermo]

As much as I appreciate and enjoy satire...a baby dressed up as a bomber would be over the top.

All satire has an element of truth to it and children killing themselves is nothing but evil.

[onedoug]

Islamist Death Cult.

[Dimensio]

Oh, so it's a joke! Ah, that's okay then, ha ha.

[AAABEST]

Family of 'baby bomber' says photograph was 'just a joke'

Oh .. ha ha ha. Boy those palis have some sense of humor, there's nothing funnier than a baby dressed as a butcher.

Their entire anti-civilization culture is "just a joke".

[Benrand]

Oh yeah, it's all about *land*. Of course, occupation.

[Autodidactic]

dressed up for fun

Ahhh.... Of course it's just a joke, I mean Islam is a religion of peace, right???

[KarlInOhio]

"A joke"?

Backsliders are enemies of the Intifada! Death to the apostates.

Please stay in your house and wait for your local Palestinian Authority representative to arrive and administer the appropriate punishment.

[Mr. Bird]

I'm with you.

[lsee]

Didn't know Muslims observed Halloween...

[Thinkin' Gal]

"I can find you many, many photos like this," she told DPA. "Many kids imitate adults and wear toy masks and guns, especially during marches. It's not strange at all.

There you have it. This kid has already learned to dress himself in suicide gear, complete with exploding diapers. Must be a Pali prodigy.

[Pagey]

A Palestinian journalist said: "I can find you many, many photos like this," she told DPA. "Many kids imitate adults and wear toy masks and guns, especially during marches. It's not strange at all.

Of course it isn't........<=====dripping sarcasmWell,at least we know just how sick the Pali's are and the depth of their hatred towards Jewish people really is.It's difficult to fathom this. "I hate you so much I'm going to give up my child,intentionally allow him/her to kill themselves,in order to...." See,I can't comprehend that type of thinking at all.

[mewzilla]

I don't know about Halloween, how about Guy Fawkes Day?