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Earlier this week, I published a post noting that the Israeli police planted a rumor that Mohamed Abu Khdeir was gay and a victim of an honor killing by his family who was shamed by his behavior. I denounced the rumor as a fraud. I based my post on a Haaretz report that said the boy had been killed as the result of an honor killing. What followed was a festival of gay-baiting from Israeli rightists who were delighted to blame the victim for his own death based on his own “sordid” lifestyle. I knew the smears of the victim derived directly from the police. But the Israeli right counter-attacked with material like this:

That piece, in which he *completely fabricates* his entire accusation against the Israeli police, now has over 1000 Facebook shares. — Yair Rosenberg (@Yair_Rosenberg) July 4, 2014

When skeptics like Yair Rosenberg accused me of fabricating the claim that the gay rumor originated from the police, I responded that it was obvious that the social media blitz resulted from information provided by the police to the media and their accomplices. But it wasn’t good enough for them.

Now, Amos Harel confirms my original post with a new piece in Haaretz (pictured here). It’s not yet appeared on the website in Hebrew or English:

Immediately after the murder of the [Palestinian] boy from Shuafat, the police disseminated unfounded speculation (which enjoyed widespread publication in a manner that would never occur if the victim was Jewish) according to which the murder had a homosexual motive. The Right explained that Jews aren’t capable of horrible things like this [the murder] and conveniently forgot a long list which includes names like Ami Popper, Eden Natan-Zada and more Jewish Hamasniks.

Let’s chalk up the gratuitous swipe at Hamas–since that movement appears more disciplined, and consistent than the settlers who dominate Israeli political discourse and their henchmen who murder little Palestinian boys–to Harel’s liberal Zionism. To his inability to acknowledge that Palestinian nationalism that aggressively resists Israeli Occupation is legitimate. That’s his problem, not Hamas’.

Leaving aside that limitation, here is proof that my original post was right on the money. The police, being the vile, racist, incompetent slobs that they are, decided that until they could solve the case they’d comfort Israeli Jews with a cock and bull story that would allow them to feel smug and self-righteous and wash their hands of this horrible crime. One which we now know was committed by a cell of Jewish terrorists who spring right from the center of Jerusalem’s Orthodox-Mizrahi community.

Mekomit, the Hebrew version of 972 Magazine adds this:

The purpose of the police was to exploit racism and ignorance of the media and its readers in order to commence a rumor mill that would divert the public’s attention from what was in all likelihood a cruel lynching by racists rightists. It worked, of course, media outlets quoted widely this explanation. On social media they deduced (as expected) that the murder victim was homosexual and responded with the requisite level of homophobia.

The rumor was despicable and about as likely as Shimon Peres being Yaser Arafat’s secret lover. I knew it stunk to high heaven and said so. But there were those who refused to believe the police were capable of such chicanery. Any reader of this blog knows what the police are capable of. If they only equally capable of solving crimes and securing convictions. If only they’d properly investigated the report of the attempted kidnapping of a 9 year old Palestinian boy only days before in the same neighborhood. Then Mohamed Abu Khdeir need not have died a most horrible death. The Israeli police too have his blood on their hands.

They perpetrated a hoax on the Israeli public in this case, not to mention smearing the memory of a Palestinian murder victim. This is unforgivable. But will they pay any price for it? Are you kidding?