The beat goes on (and on)

Palestinians approve Israeli plan

As top Palestinian officials headed for talks in Washington, the Palestinian Cabinet on Wednesday gave preliminary approval to an Israeli proposal that troops withdraw from some Palestinian areas in exchange for a Palestinian crackdown on militants there.

Which is pretty much what Israel has been demanding all along, isn't it?

The story itself is full of interesting, er, twists. Such as the caption for the lead photo:

Palestinian police rush through the streets of Gaza with a casket in preparation for a body after incursions into Gaza by the Israeli army Wednesday.

"In preparation"? You mean they're rushing to where they anticipate a death? Is this sloppy writing, or what?

Further in, MS-NBC has picked up the Reuters beat.

Meantime, at least five Palestinians were killed Wednesday as Israel pursued its military crackdown on several fronts.

Wow, death toll rising. Wait! Next paragraph:

In the West Bank town of Bethlehem, troops arrested Yehiyeh Daamseh, a local leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade militia and an explosives expert accused of dispatching several suicide bombers to Israel. In a March attack attributed to Daamseh, 11 Israelis were killed in Jerusalem.

Ah, so he's more than just a casual casualty (so to speak). And he's not a terrorist, a member of a terrorist organization, no no; he's a member of a militia! Ah, of course.

In a second raid Wednesday, Israeli troops killed Ziad Daas, a local leader of the Al Aqsa militia in the West Bank town of Tulkarem. Daas had been wanted by Israel for alleged involvement in the execution-style killing of two Israeli restaurant owners in Tulkarem in December 2000.

So #2 is also just a local militia dude. At best, however, he's a wanted murderer, but we know the nature of his group, don't we?

The remaining three on this list are a "bystander" during the Daas shoot-out. Silly man, but regretable nonetheless. There's also "a third person" killed during this, and that's the only way they're described.

#4 is Hamas leader Hussam Hamdan, previously mentioned in the Reuters story. I thought he died before Wednesday?

#5 is a policeman, killed by a stray bullet while he slept. That's truly sad, really, no sarcasm, no snide tone. However, is this the same policeman of the Reuters story?

Confused reporting, at best.