A B’Tselem ad that reads: “The IDF law enforcement system – cosmetics for the occupation.”

B’Tselem, which has received $2,202,381 over the last 10 years from the the New Israel Fund (NIF),  recently published a document providing data on casualties caused by Israel since Operation Cast Lead (2008-2009).

The document also includes a list of Palestinians killed by Israeli citizens in the West Bank during that period. The document indicates that the vast majority of casualties were terrorists killed by security forces or armed civilians — either after or during attacks on IDF soldiers or innocent Israeli citizens.

B’Tselem chose to merely describe the circumstances in which Palestinians were shot, while refraining from noting that they were killed while trying to commit terrorist attacks. Instead, B’Tselem vilifies the people who tried to stop the terrorists and save lives.

Some examples:

• Muhammad Zaharan Abd El-Halim Zaharan: Age 22, inhabitant of A-Dik village in the Salfit district, was killed on December 24, 2015 in Ariel, in the Nablus District, shot by live bullets. Additional details: Was shot to death by a female security guard in the industrial zone, after he had stabbed her and an additional security guard.
• Fadi Muhamad, Mahmud Hsiv: Age 30, inhabitant of Ramallah, was killed on November 27, 2015 in the vicinity of Kefar Adumim shot by live bullets by an Israeli citizen.
• Additional details: According to the police announcement, he was shot after running over two persons who were waiting at a hitchhiking stop, wounding them slightly, then emerging from his car and running towards them with a knife in his hand.
• Shadi Mahmud Khsiv: Age 31, inhabitant of Ramallah, was killed on November 22, 2015 in the vicinity of Kefar Adumim shot by live bullets. Additional details: According to the announcement of the police spokesperson, he was shot after attempting to run over people waiting at a hitchhiking stop; then he emerged from his car and stabbed and wounded one of them slightly.
• Muhammad Abed Mussah Nimmer – Age 37, inhabitant of Al-Isawiyah in  Jerusalem was killed on November 10, 2015 shot by live bullets. Additional details: He was shot to death by a security guard of the Jerusalem Light Rail system, when he attempted to stab him.
• Fadel Muhamad Awad El-Kawasami: Age 18, inhabitant of Hebron, was killed on October 17, 2015 in Hebron, shot by live bullets. Additional details: According to the announcement of the IDF spokesperson, he was shot while attempting to stab an Israeli civilian.

Instead of telling the truth, B’Tselem chooses to condemn those who stopped the terrorists. According to the organization: “… [D]ozens of events occurred since October 2015, in which Palestinians who attacked, attempted to attack, or were suspected of attacking members of the security forces or Israeli citizens, were shot to death. This occurred even when they could have been stopped without lethal fire. In some cases, these were in fact executions, since it was clear that these people no longer constituted a threat.”

And it was not by accident that B’Tselem chose to allocate a separate data document for the Palestinians killed in the “West Bank.”

When one examines the explanations provided for the casualty data presented in the document, it becomes evident that the organization is of the opinion that there is a difference between terrorism that takes places in the West Bank, and terrorism in other areas:

In May 2012, B’Tselem decided to stop addressing the issue of participation in combat with regard to Palestinians killed in the West Bank. As far back as 2000, B’Tselem objected to a sweeping categorization of events taking places in the territories as ‘armed combat’. Also, while certain complex events that may have met the definition of ‘combat events’ did take place in the West Bank in the past, in recent years the number of these events is negligible. For this reason, B’Tselem has decided that in regard to all Palestinians killed since Operation Cast Lead, no reference will be made to the question of “participation in combat” and only a short factual description of the circumstances of the death will be provided instead.

Instead of condemning terrorists, B’Tselem attacks the citizens and security forces who foiled these attempts. And all the while, American Jews continue funding the New Israel Fund’s work, which includes supporting organizations like B’Tselem that harm Israel.