Soccer Dad

Bursting the bubble (gum)

AFP reports (via memeorandum):

Hamas suspects that Israeli intelligence services are supplying its Gaza Strip stronghold with chewing gum that boosts the sex drive in order to "corrupt the young," an official said on Tuesday.

"We have discovered two types of stimulants that were introduced into the Gaza Strip from Israeli border crossings," Hamas police spokesman Islam Shahwan told AFP.

"The first type is presented in the form of chewing gum and the second in the form of drops," he said.

But as Patterico writes (and as I noted yesterday):

Absurd, but durable -- Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority floated this story as far back as 1997.  And they lifted it from Egyptian tabloids in 1996.
For whatever reason, July is Zionist Sex Gum Month, in which the dastardly Joos try to pump up the population of those who wish to see Israel wiped off the map!

So why is it that bloggers, rather than a news agency remember that this is a recycled charge? Generally, why is it that nearly any charge made against Israel, regardless of whether it is absurd or well produced, qualifies as news with little or no vetting. As Barry Rubin writes (in a slightly different context):

Let's pause here for a moment. If Palestinian leaders lie about each other so shamelessly, shouldn't Western journalists, politicians, and human rights' groups consider how much more of an incentive they have to lie about Israel? Israel is accused of all sorts of misdeeds based on statements by Palestinians who view such lies as part of their propaganda effort. Shouldn't that be taken into account and such claims discounted without hard proof?