Who is behind the fabricated claim of 'beheaded babies'?

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: The Grayzone
12 Oct 2023 06:41
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It is none other than the fanatical settler leader who had previously called for the Palestinian town of Huwara to be "wiped out", The Grayzone says.

David Ben Zion hours after claiming he had found babies "beheaded" by Palestinian Resistance fighters in the illegal "Kfar Azza" kibbutz (Social media)

Following false accusations made by an Israeli occupation reserve soldier named David Ben Zion about Palestinian Resistance fighters beheading babies, the claims gained widespread attention from US President Joe Biden, Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as international media.

The Grayzone news website, however, has identified Ben Zion as an extremist settler leader who had previously incited riots by calling for the Palestinian town of Huwara to be "wiped out".

An international condemnation ensued after the Israeli Foreign Ministry claimed that Palestinian Resistance fighters from the Gaza Strip had killed "40 babies" and beheaded some of them during an attack on the illegal "Kfar Azza" kibbutz on the border with Gaza as part of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood that the Resistance launched against the Israeli occupation.

Biden reiterated this false claim during an address at the White House on October 10, and it was uncritically reported by Western media outlets.

According to The Grayzone, Ben Zion, the key source behind the false claim serves as the Deputy Commander of Unit 71 in the Israeli occupation army.

"We walked door to door, we killed a lot of terrorists. They are very bad. They cut heads of children, they cut heads of women," Ben Zion told Israeli i24 reporter Nicole Zedek in an interview on October 10, also referring to Palestinians as "animals".

Oddly, in a video posted on his Facebook account, Ben Zion could be seen smiling in "Kfar Azza", where he claimed to witness the alleged killings of the babies.

Using the speculative verbs of "believe" and "told me", Zedek indicated hours later, "Soldiers told me they believe 40 babies/children were killed."

Although the Israeli occupation military spokesperson denied information regarding "Hamas beheading babies," the unverified claims reached top-level leadership, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesperson and US President Joe Biden marginally alluding to the reports of babies and toddlers' "heads decapitated".

Biden still failed to mention that the Israeli occupation was brutally killing civilians, using white phosphorus, and bombing religious sites and schools where people typically seek refuge in times of war.

Soldiers told me they believe 40 babies/children were killed. The exact death toll is still unknown as the military continues to go house to house and find more Israeli casualties. https://t.co/PEGSFXgb9x
— Nicole Zedeck (@Nicole_Zedek) October 10, 2023

In the same context, some reporters who initially supported the Israeli allegations began reporting on their own observations that showed otherwise.

Oren Ziv, an Israeli reporter who was present during the Israeli occupation military's official tour in "Kfar Azza", posted on X that "during the tour, we didn’t see any evidence of this, and the army spokesperson or commanders also didn’t mention any such incidents."

1/5 I'm getting a lot of question about the reports of "Hamas beheaded babies” that were published after the media tour in the village. During the tour we didn’t see any evidence of this, and the army spokesperson or commanders also didn’t mention any such incidents. pic.twitter.com/qN4XZmlGAP
— Oren Ziv (@OrenZiv_) October 11, 2023

Ziv pointed out that "during the tour, journalists were allowed to speak to the hundreds of soldiers on site, without the supervision of the army's spokesperson team," which made it easy for Ben Zion to make such fabrications against Palestinian Resistance fighters.

He also added that some Israeli occupation soldiers he spoke to in "Kfar Azza" didn't mention "beheaded babies".

The Grayzone noted that David Ben Zion is a leader of 35 illegal West Bank settlements under the so-called Shomron Regional Council.

He previously called for the Palestinian village of Huwara to be "wiped out".

Homes, shops, and cars were set ablaze in a village in #Palestine by Israeli settlers, under the protection of Israeli occupation forces.
Many #Palestinians said last night's horrific scenes were a lot like the Zionist gangs' crimes committed during the 1948 Nakba. pic.twitter.com/7DgGUlLeDm
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) February 27, 2023

Ben Zion was quoted by Israeli media as saying that "the village of Huwara should be wiped out, this place is a nest of terror and the punishment should be for everyone," in reference to the whole Palestinian people.

Deputy mayor of Samaria region:

"Here in Hawara the blood of our children was spilled on the road...
Hawara needs to be wiped out today.
Enough talk about building and strengthening the settlements. The deterrence that was lost must return now, there's no room for mercy." pic.twitter.com/6l1cEEbCI5
— Judah Ari Gross (@JudahAriGross) February 26, 2023

Elsewhere, The Grayzone report mentioned that Ben Zion had repeatedly called for war crimes and the "deportation of the [Palestinian] masses," characterizing in 2016 the Palestinian people as enemies with a "barbaric DNA."