Hamas is a flagrantly anti-democratic, anti-Semitic, anti-Christian, anti-feminist and anti-gay movement dedicated to genocide. The United States, Canada and the European Union all consider it a terrorist organization. Hamas strives to kill the maximum number of Israeli civilians while using its own population as a human shield — under international law, a double war crime. Why, then, would the same free press that Hamas silences help advance its strategy?
Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren
In an op-ed in Wednesday's Washington Post, Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren warns against Falling for Hamas’s media manipulation:
What makes better headlines? Is it numbing figures such as the 8,000 Palestinian rockets fired at Israel since it unilaterally withdrew from Gaza in 2005, and the 42.5 percent of Israeli children living near the Gaza border who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder? Or is it high-resolution images of bombed-out buildings in Gaza and emotional stories of bereaved Palestinians? The last, obviously, as demonstrated by much of the media coverage of Israel’s recent operation against Hamas. But that answer raises a more fundamental question: Which stories best serve the terrorists’ interest?In the rush of the media to get the most emotionally compelling story for its readers, the media glosses over the terrorists' battle for public opinion. It is a battle that relies on twisting reality so as to isolate and demonize Israel for defending itself.
Oren points out the media bias which is evident in so much of its reporting of the ongoing war between Hamas terrorists and Israel:
- The Washington Post juxtaposes photos of the funeral of a terrorist leader of Hamas with that of a pregnant Israeli mother murdered by that same terrorist group, equating the two.
- Similarly, in the media's rush to get compelling photos, it unquestioningly accepts the photos offered by Hamas of Arab children killed by Israeli strikes -- which are in fact photos of children killed in Syria.
- The media likes to highlight the number of Gazan casualties, yet fails to give its readers any context by ignoring the fact that the ratio of civilians to terrorists killed during Operation Pillar of Defense was 1:1, while the ratio of civilian to combatant casualties was much higher elsewhere: the ratio was 3 civilians for every combatant in Afghanistan and 4 civilians for every combatant Iraq.
- In their rush for dramatic effect, the media likewise focuses on the enormous disparity between the number of Palestinian and Israeli deaths --
as though Israel should be penalized for investing billions of dollars in civil-defense and early-warning systems and Hamas exonerated for investing in bombs rather than bomb shelters.
- The media again tosses around the term "disproportionate" to describe Israeli military strikes, but in fact in Operation Pillar of Defense, Israel responded with 1,500 attacks to the over 1,500 missiles Hamas fired at Israel.
- The extent of the media bias is illustrated by The New York Times, which in a front page report noted on the one hand that “Hamas health officials said 45 had been killed and 385 wounded,” while “Three Israeli civilians have died and 63 have been injured,” implying that Israel targets Palestinians, while Israelis merely die.
- The media focuses on the elimination of Jabari as signalling the beginning of the fighting rather than note the 130 rockets fired at Israel in the weeks before
- It also repeats the Hamas claim that Gaza is the most densely populated area on the earth while ignoring that in fact Tel Aviv's population is twice as dense as Gaza.
Like Americans, we cherish a free press, but unlike the terrorists, we are not looking for headlines. Our hope is that media resist the temptation to give them what they want.Unfortunately, so far the media has done exactly that.
Hat tip: DG
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Because, and it sounds trite, most people hate the Jews. If there were a nuclear airburst over Tel Aviv tomorrow most of the media and left would declare an international day of celebration. You also shouldn't ignore the point that most of the media is driven by people who are angry and bitter that they're not viewed as an unelected 4th branch of the government and so they simply want to see the world burn.
ReplyDeleteDid you see the comments left on the Post article?
ReplyDeleteMost of them don't believe Oren and are very anti-Israel. Many people who commented ask Israel to stop throwing Palestinians out of their homes and land. While the history of 1948 is in dispute, I don't think that any historian is claiming that anyone was thrown out since. They believe that Israel is deliberately targeting civilians. They believe that Gazans are malnourished and it is like a Ghetto. They believe that Gazans come to Israel to have babies. (While in truth they use their own hospitals, and Israel allows patients from Gaza in where the Gazan hospitals are not equipped to handle them).
The Arab propaganda has been a huge success.
While many bloggers like you, make excellent points, you are mostly preaching to the choir.
Why is it really that difficult to firstly spread the truth of the situation and secondly convince people of the justice of the Israeli cause?
For part of the explanation of the anti-Israel fixation, see Hangin’ on Rekab Street: The Stupefaction of the West
ReplyDeleteHate also plays a part.