Mark Regev: Straight-faced Liar Extraordinaire

Mark Regev, the Spokesperson for the Israeli government, is always on television making, what audiences would hope to be, true statements on behalf of Israel. With current Israeli Operation “Pillars of Defense” underway in Gaza, many will look to Mark Regev for official statements in the coming days. However, if Israel’s last war on Gaza told us anything it’s that Mark Regev doesn’t like to tell the whole truth. He became especially famous during Operation Cast Lead in the winter of 2008 to 2009 when a number of media and news agencies interviewed Regev, including CNN, BBC, and Al Jazeera. After a series of statements in different interviews, Regev quickly developed a notorious position for leaving out much of the truth in the hopes of excusing Israel’s war crimes.

In the number of interviews following the aftermath of Operation Cast Lead (which resulted in thousands of civilian deaths in Gaza by Israeli attack), Regev makes claims that are later uncovered to be false, revealed by Israel itself. John Snow, with Channel 4 News, asked Regev straight out, “Does Israel accept that it has been using Phosphorus bombs, flashets and fragmentation bombs?” Regev responded confidently, “[Israel] does not use any weapons that are illegal under international convention or under international law.”

It is in fact illegal to use white phosphorus bombs on civilians, which were the actual reported causalities from Israel’s use, yet Regev assured reporters that those weapons were not used on civilians. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) later came out and said, “The army did not deny using white phosphorus; a military source says it was used to create a cloud cover intended to make it harder for Hamas militants to see IDF soldiers.” White Phosphorus bombs did in fact rain over Gaza during Operation Cast Lead. “Israel has admitted – after mounting pressure – that its troops may have used white phosphorus shells in contravention of international law, during its three-week offensive in the Gaza Strip.” Videos uploaded to youtube show chilling evidence that Israel did in fact use white phosphorous and that it was pouring out of the Gaza sky during the attack.

One of the places targeted during the three week attack on Gaza in 2008 was a UN Fakhura girl's elementary school. This brought outrage in the international community as photos of burning rain fell over a children’s school. Mark Regev hoped to convince many reporters that the UN school was holding Hamas leaders who had fired rockets from out of the school. In hopes to somehow justify the attack on the all girl's elementary school and all the children inside of it, Regev told CNN reporters, “There was intense combat in the immediate vicinity of the UN compound.” He then said that Israel was unsure who actually attacked the school, implying that it may have been Hamas.

Regev insisted that the Israeli army hit a UN school only in response to fire shot at them first from there. Independent reports came later confirming that there were no shots fired at the IDF forces from the school. The UN had made it clear to Israel that Hamas could not be found in the school: “United Nations investigators say they have uncovered no evidence to support a claim by the Israeli military that Hamas fighters were holed up in a Gaza school, prompting a deadly attack by Israeli forces that killed 40 civilians, many of them children.” In another UN report, spokesperson for UNRWA  Chris Gunness stated, “We are 99.9 percent certain that there were no militants, no militant activity in the school building or in the compound.”

With such controversy erupting in the ongoing disputes between Gaza and Israel, a truthful source for information is pivotal to understanding aggressions in the region. With recent assaults and escalating violence from Israel into Gaza, audiences should be wary when listening to his commentary. If Mark Regev can, without a stutter, lie about Israel not using white phosphorus rain on Gaza in 2008, what will he confidently lie about today?

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