Media Stumped by Motive of Anti-Semitic Shooter With ‘Palestine’ Rifle
16th February 2024
A woman toting a rifle emblazoned with a “Palestine” sticker walked into a pro-Israel celebrity pastor’s church and opened fire, according to law enforcement officials. News outlets declared the motive a “mystery.”
Genesse Ivonne Moreno, 36, an immigrant from El Salvador who sometimes identified as a man, shot up Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, on Sunday, injuring a worshipper before security guards shot her dead, the FBI and local police said. The church is home to televangelist Joel Osteen, a vocal supporter of Israel and friend of its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Police said they found anti-Semitic writings among Moreno’s belongings. Early reports also said the sticker on Moreno’s rifle said “Free Palestine,” but police later revealed the sticker said “Palestine.”
It would be easy to connect the dots and draw the obvious conclusion: The shooting was part of a worldwide eruption of anti-Semitism amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. But mainstream media have long struggled to see violence as anything other than a right-wing phenomenon.