Typical UN and Media Hypocrisy When Palestinian Ayman Samara Dies in Palestinian Prison

Khaled Abu Toameh writes that Palestinians' Double-Standards Exposed Again:

Six days after Arafat Jaradat was found dead in Israel's Megiddo Prison, another detainee died in a Palestinian Authority prison in Jericho.

Jaradat's death triggered widespread condemnations not only from Palestinians but also from international human rights organizations and the United Nations.

Toameh recounts the expected reaction --

• Robert Serry, the UN Middle East peace envoy announced:
  

  The United Nations expects an independent and transparent investigation into the circumstances of Mr Jaradat's death, the results of which should be made public as soon as possible.
  

• UN Special Rapporteur for human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories Richard Falk called for an investigation into Arafat Jaradat's death:
  

  The death of a prisoner during interrogation is always a cause for concern, but in this case, when Israel has shown a pattern and practise of prisoner abuse, the need for outside, credible investigation is more urgent than ever.

• There was the expected massive coverage in the media, from the likes of the BBC, Time, The Guardian and France 24.
  
  
• Even Jaradat's funeral  drew a crowd of journalists from the international media.

However, when the hypocrisy is thick when a Palestinian Ayman Samara dies in PA custody:

But when Ayman Samara, a 40-year-old Palestinian man, died in the Palestinian Authority's Jericho Prison a few days later, neither the UN nor the international media showed the slightest interest in his case.

Many Jerusalem-based Western journalists chose to ignore the story of Samara. Some claimed they were too busy to cover the death of the Palestinian man in Jericho Prison; others admitted their editors were simply not interested in this story because it was an "internal Palestinian issue."

An "internal issue" as when the world's favorite Arab peace partner -- world renowned moderate Mahmoud Abbas -- tries to join in a unity government with Hamas terrorists, while the Israeli attempt to expand homes is cause for world outcry because that is an impediment to peace.

Even the fact that the PA has blocked any efforts of Palestinian journalists to cover the story, going so far as to detain a Palestinian reporter, interviewing people outside the prison, is not considered by the media to be something worth reporting.

And of course, it is not only the media that shows its disinterest -- and outright avoidance -- in bringing attention to Palestinian offenses. There has not been a peep out of the UN calling for an international and independent inquiry into Samara's death in the Jericho Prison. Self-proclaimed international human rights organizations similarly have remained silent.

All in all, just a typical reaction by the usual culprits in giving a pass to the Abbas regime.

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Technorati Tag: Arafat Jaradat and Abbas and Palestinian Authority and Media Bias and Ayman Samara.