More Selective Editing from LJ (UPDATE 2)

Update 2:  At the 51 second point in the IDF video, hit pause.  In the lower left corner you will see what appears to be 6 objects that seem to be the same shape and dimension as the objects being loaded into the truck.  Watching that a few times it could be the roof of a building.  If those object are on the roof it could be a coincidence that they are the same dimension, or they could be rockets hidden on the roof so that civilians wouldn't see them. They could be something else.  It's hard to say from the video.  If I were on a jury trying the Israeli pilot on a war crimes charge, and the only evidence I had was that video, and the testimony of Ahmad Samur, I would have to vote not guilty.  We have not been to the scene, we have no way of knowing whether the scene was tampered with, only Samur's testimony that it was not (we have already established that scenes can be created for the camera as was done with Al-Dura).  Is there a reasonable doubt as to whether those objects on the truck were rockets or not?  One thing I can conclude from the video: there were more than four "canisters" on multiple trucks.  Samur's testimony is already incorrect less than a minute into the IDF video.  Perhaps only four "canisters" were being loaded into that specific truck.  But there were far more on the others.  Again, there is not enough information available to draw a conclusion that should be presented by Al Jazeera, or Larry Johnson, as fact.

Update 1: Since posting this I have gotten the full video from the IDF's Youtube channel.  The man in the Al Jazeera video said they took 50 small pieces of iron, some welding equipment, 4 gas canisters, 2 gallons diesel, 2 gallons of gasoline.  How many trucks does it take to haul that stuff?  There were 4 at the scene.  One drove away loaded with what appears to objects of the same dimension as the "canisters" being loaded onto the truck.  One looks loaded to me, and appears to be leaving while another was being loaded.  How many men does it take to load the above list of materials?   Watch both videos.  I think Ahmad Samur is full of shit, and possibly was not even at the scene.  That explosion is pretty big.  Everyone around that truck would have been dead, or seriously burned.  Mr. Samur looks pretty unscathed to me.  Like I said, one cannot conclude anything from that Al Jazeera story.  But Larry Johnson sure did.

This is how the No Quarter coverage of Gaza is going to look.

Larry Johnson has placed the following Al Jazeera video on No Quarter.

Then presents the following:

As the Israeli human rights analyst correctly notes, if these men were actually loading missiles with high explosives the truck would have disappeared. So ask yourself one question–if you were out loading your truck with gas canisters to use in your home because you cannot rely on public services and someone dropped a bomb and killed your son, would you be pissed? I suspect the answer is yes.

What Johnson selectively leaves out is that the human rights worker clearly states that the military analyst said that the truck would have disappeared had the rockets been prepared to be launched.  A formal investigation has not taken place as to the purpose of the tubes; for rockets, or civilian purposes.  A welding gas canister has a rounded end.  See if you notice round end with a valve system on those objects.

This is a picture of a truck fitted with a grad rocket launcher.  What's that on the back of the truck, gas canisters?  Funny, if I didn't know any better I'd say those launch tubes are very similar in dimension to the "canisters" in the video.

This is a photo of a fully assembled grad rocket (there are a few types in different lengths, some shorter than this).

If you watch the video it is clear the tubes being carried by the men by the truck are not fitted with an explosive head, as seen here.  I think we can be certain that the tubes in the video do not represent fully assembled grad rockets.  So let's rule now that the men in the video were not loading armed rockets into the truck just for shits and giggles.

Is it possible that the tubes were disassembled grad rockets, to be fitted with their explosives, and propulsion systems?  Yes.  Is it possible that these were civilians and the tubes were for non-violent purpose?  Yes. But Johnson selectively edits for his audience.  I think I will wait until the full investigation is completed, and the report filed, before I pass judgement.  Johnson fails to possess the integrity to do the same.  He couches his presentation as demonstrating the PR problem Israel will face as a result of the Gaza invasion (something that will happen regardless of whether a single civilian dies or not).  But what he's really doing is manipulating his audience into believing that Israel wrongly killed those people in the video to inflame them.

And it looks like I'm not the only one who is trying to figure out what is truth and what is fiction.

I will not go on with this exercise much longer as I think anyone with a brain by now realizes that Johnson has an axe to grind with Israel, and that journalistic integrity and objectivity are out the window.  

If a formal investigation into this incident is undertaken with the cooperation of B'tselem and concludes that these were civilians that were hit, that the intelligence was wrong, and Israel is at fault, then I expect the people responsible to be punished.  If it turns out that these were Hamas operatives I would hope Johnson would state as much at No Quarter.  Monkeys will fly out of my butt first I would imagine.

My point is that there really no one to trust in all of this.  There is no source of information I consider credible in its details.  Larry Johnson is being very clever, but he's not fooling anyone, except perhaps himself., and those of his readers that are too dimwitted to pay attention to detail, or form their own opinions.

Here's what we know.  

• Hamas broke the ceasefire.  
• Hamas was firing rockets during the ceasefire.  
• Hamas refused to renew the ceasefire.  Egypt, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority warned Hamas that Israel would take strong military action. 
•  Israel was gathering intelligence on Hamas positions during the ceasefire (if you're against Israel you will conclude that it was planning this operation and planned to carry it out regardless of the ceasefire status, as many No Quarter readers are concluding, and if you support Israel, or you have any common sense, you will conclude that Israel was gathering this intelligence in the event that the ceasefire was not renewed by Hamas and action needed to be taken; of course it is possible that Hamas and Israel are in cahoots for a reason someone else can present to me...with Fatah out of the way I find it hard to believe how this benefits Israel though there can always be heavy duty black ops shit happening; it is also possible that this is all being orchestrated by the ghost of Christmas Past). 
  
• Israel has been bombing targets in Gaza for eight days.
• Israel has launched a ground invasion with the stated purpose of taking control of areas where rocket launches are being staged.
• Humanitarian aid has been flowing into Gaza, tonnage being flown in by the Red Cross and other nations into Israel, and convoys were coming in prior to and during the operations.
• We know that distribution of aid is difficult because of the military operations.

That is the only thing any of us can be certain about.  We cannot be certain how many have died.  We cannot be certain how many are Hamas operatives and how many are civilians.  We do not know a lot of things.  Instead of presenting questions as facts we should all be praying that this ends as quickly as possible, with the lowest death toll possible, and when this bullshit is over the rockets never again fall on Israel or Gaza.  Tall order I know, but what the hell?  It doesn't hurt to ask.