A video report by a Japanese journalist has ignited fury among Israel’s supporters in the US for adding her voice to other voices that reject claims that Palestinians raped Israeli women on October 7.
Israel’s newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth published a report in Hebrew on June 26 entitled, “Outrage over video with lies by Japanese journalist.”
The ‘lies’ claimed by the Israeli newspapers include Miki Otaka’s statement that Israel is using depleted uranium in its war against Palestinians in Gaza.
The paper cites a US-based Simon Wiesenthal Center’s call on the Japanese government to publicly denounce the denial of rape of Israeli women during the Hamas attack, as reported by Otaka.
Yedioth Ahronoth also claimed that Otaka said in the video that Israel used depleted uranium bombs to destroy life in the Gaza Strip, whose soil has been contaminated by the remnants of the destroyed bombs, causing the spread of cancer and serious respiratory diseases.
International and UN-linked organizations have repeatedly spoke about the unprecedented humanitarian disaster created by Israel in its war on the Palestinians.
‘The Black Dress’ – Palestinian Documentary Challenges NYT Report on Oct. 7 Mass Rape (WATCH)
Aside from the dire environmental impact of the war itself, sewage and water crises have already been discussed by the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA).
“As of 9 June, over 330,000 tons of waste have accumulated in or near populated areas across Gaza, posing catastrophic environmental and health risks,” UNRWA said in a statement last month.
The Japanese journalist was quoted as saying that the Gaza Strip suffers from the absence of safe drinking water, and the interruption of all food and medicine supplies, which means that people will die as a result.
Indeed, many Palestinians, especially children have already died because of starvation and as a direct result of the lack of medicine, Save the Children, among others, reported.
In her report, Otaka also asserted that Israel pays huge sums of money to activate the work of the Israel lobby within the United States and Europe to protect Israel’s interests, as well as influence the media.
The latter point has triggered an angry response from the Israeli lobby.
“Rabbi Avraham Cooper, one of the heads of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, sent a letter to Japan’s ambassador to the United States, drawing his attention to a YouTube video in which Japanese journalist Miki Otake denies the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks,” the Israeli newspaper reported.
Japanese journalist Miki Otaka has been targeted by Israeli lobbyists following her comments about the Israeli genocide and crimes in the besieged Gaza Strip.#GazaGenocide pic.twitter.com/o3t3GiHETc
— Palestine Highlights (@PalHighlight) July 1, 2024
The paper, once more invoked the Holocaust, saying that October 7 represented the “largest mass murder of Jews in a single day since” then.
The newspaper also said that Otaka “also denied sexual violence against Israeli women.”
However, Otaka’s assertions are not the first regarding what many believe are drummed-up Israeli charges made with no evidence.
Debunked Claims
The Palestine Chronicle raised the issue in its documentary produced in association with Friends of Palestine Network, which highlights the repeated claims by Israel about sexual violence committed by the resistance on October 7.
The outcome of their investigation resulted in the launch of ‘The Black Dress’, an 18-minute documentary looking into The New York Times allegations and the possible falsification of evidence regarding what truly transpired on October 7.
The documentary debunked the claims, co-authored by Schwartz, placing it in several contexts, journalistic, political and historical.
Months later, in May, an investigation published by the Associated Press on Wednesday exposed Israeli false and fabricated allegations of sexual violence by Palestinian Resistance fighters during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7, 2023.
Following the events of October 7, Israel’s standard protocol for such attacks reportedly collapsed “because of the scale of the attack”, according to the report.
‘Untrue’ – AP Investigation Debunks Allegations of Sexual Abuse on October 7
AP examined testimonies from two volunteers from ZAKA, an Israeli non-governmental ultra-Orthodox organization that was tasked with collecting bodies.
The investigation found that they misled the global public into believing that Hamas fighters sexually assaulted Israeli women on October 7.
Nova Music Festival
Israel and its supporters habitually label those who are critical of Israel as being ‘anti-Semitic,’ a charge also made against the Japanese journalist.
Immediately after the October 7 assault, and as world anger mounted over the Israeli genocide in Gaza, Israel and its supporters began circulating various claims. They include the beheading of babies, and the mass killing of Israelis at a music concert, in addition to the mass rape story.
Not Hamas, but Israeli Military Killed Civilians at Nova Music Festival – Media Reports
On November 18, an investigation conducted by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz debunked the claim that Palestinian Resistance fighters had purposely attacked the Nova Music Festival, knowing beforehand that a festival was scheduled to take place on that specific day and time.
It also revealed that “According to a police source, the investigation also indicates that an IDF combat helicopter that arrived to the scene and fired at terrorists there apparently also hit some festival participants. According to police, 364 people were murdered at the festival.”
Many journalists have taken responsibility for circulating some of the Israeli claims.
For example, CNN reporter Sara Sidner issued an apology after defending Israel’s claims that Hamas beheaded babies on October 7.
“Yesterday the Israeli Prime Minister’s office said that it had confirmed Hamas beheaded babies & children while we were live on the air. The Israeli government now says today it CANNOT confirm babies were beheaded. I needed to be more careful with my words and I am sorry,” Sidner wrote on X on October 14.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
Well I’m proud of Ms. Otaka, good job.
One of the most basic behavior patterns of psychopaths is to point the finger at someone else for what they themselves are doing, and Israel is the nation for psychopaths.
I think the real anger about Ms. Otaka revelations is due to exposing the use of depleted uranium. I would think the Israeli population would be concerned to hear of depleted uranium being used right there in their own nation. Weren’t some of those people planning on moving to Gaza if they succeeded in driving the natives out?
More power to her!
she should watch her back though, lots of scumbag pro-Wasrael protesters are beating up on girls and old ladies, in solidarity with the Israeli baby-killers.
Look out Miki. Don’t wanna end up like Senator Massie’s wife do you ?
“Chosen One” types are notoriously spiteful terminators when they sic their gentile curs onto any dissenters.