Barely five years after George W. Bush considered (supposedly) an attack on its offices, Al-Jazeera's English service is the channel of choice on American military television sets in Afghanistan.

Appearing on Hamas Television, Abu Obeida, a spokesman for the group's military wing, said the mortar fire was aimed at deterring further Israeli attacks.

For reasons that remain unclear, the case was heard by a military court, where the judge tried to hold the trial in private, claiming that the jury was afraid of being seen on television.