The Associated Press (AP) this week published a story titled, Hamas court says women need guardian’s approval to travel, that was reprinted by mainstream media outlets such as The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times. Incredibly, the article drew a connection between a decision by the Palestinian terrorist group to severely curtail women’s rights in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli-Egyptian blockade of the enclave.
How exactly does a security measure imposed in response to incessant attacks against the Jewish state, as well as the smuggling of weaponry through the Sinai Peninsula and Hamas’ support for terrorists therein, have anything to do with an internal policy enacted by Gaza’s Islamist rulers?
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Sharia law imposed in Gaza? The blockade made Hamas do it.
The first paragraph of the article, widely considered by professional journalists to be the most important, exposes a form of bias:
A Hamas-run Islamic court in the Gaza Strip has ruled that women require the permission of a male guardian to travel, further restricting movement in and out of the territory that has been blockaded by Israel and Egypt since the militant group seized power.”
While author Fares Akram does not go so far as to openly hold Jerusalem accountable for the Sharia Judicial Council’s decision to forbid unmarried women from traveling without the permission of a male “guardian,” he reveals his actual agenda by making an association between two unrelated circumstances. Inadvertently or not, Akram is engaging in a type of manipulation known in the world of public relations as ‘transfer.’ By doing so, he is conjuring up a negative image of Israel while deflecting attention away from Hamas’ authoritarianism.
Related Reading: Reuters Blames Israel for Plight of Gaza Christians, Ignores Hamas Persecution
Another strange juxtaposition is apparent when comparing the sixth and seventh paragraphs:
He [Hassan al-Jojo, head of the Supreme Judicial Council] justified the measure by citing past instances in which girls had traveled without the knowledge of their parents and men had left their wives and children without a breadwinner.
Inexplicably, the above is immediately followed by:
Israel and Egypt have largely sealed Gaza’s borders since Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007. Israel says the restrictions are needed to isolate the militant group, which has fought three wars with Israel, and prevent it from acquiring arms.
Constructing a news story in such a fashion is problematic because readers are likely to assume that there is a direct correlation — if not causation — between the former and latter paragraphs.
Related Reading: Coronavirus Exposes Hamas Disregard for Gaza Human Rights
“Going backwards in protecting human rights”
To AP’s credit, the piece does note that the actions of the Hamas-run Islamic court generated blowback:
The ruling sparked criticism on social media, where many accused Hamas of rolling back women’s rights even as Saudi Arabia has eased its restrictions, including by allowing women to drive.… Zainab al-Ghunaimi, an activist who runs a Gaza-based group focused on women’s rights, said the ruling contravenes the Palestinian Basic Law, which grants equal rights to adults, and means that authorities are “going backwards in protecting human rights.”
Yet, even these words of criticism, which appear at the end of the article, are followed by what seems to be an attempt at diminishing the severity of Hamas’ new draconian policy:
Hamas has not imposed the kind of harsh interpretation of Islamic law championed by other armed groups, such as the Islamic State group and the Taliban in Afghanistan.”
As a result of this brand of advocacy journalism, we are already seeing on social media how this spurious relationship is being spread. Below is a tweet by Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch:
Bad enough that Israel and Egypt are blockading Gaza. Now a Hamas-run Islamic court in Gaza has made the retrograde ruling that women also require the permission of a male guardian to travel. https://t.co/oa4acRNzNj pic.twitter.com/Hw4Ea4eEPo
— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) February 16, 2021
#KidsNotSoldiers: The story WaPo, Los Angeles Times and AP Missed
Moreover, it is troubling that a piece focused on human rights in Gaza could be published without mention of the fact that February 14-19 marks Palestinian Child Soldier Week, an annual event to raise awareness of and a call for an end to the systemic use of minors for the purposes of terrorism and warfare.
Specifically, this year’s initiative is urging human rights organizations such as UNICEF to take a stand against the ongoing practice by Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Palestine Liberation Organization, whose Chairman is Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
In Gaza, Hamas has training camps in which Palestinian youth are taught violence, to be directed at Israel. Approximately 10,000 children and teens are trained each year in terrorist “summer camps.” There, they learn combat maneuvers and terrorism tactics as well as how to use weapons.
By glossing over the scope of abuses perpetrated by Palestinian leaders on their populace, while instead placing blame on Israel for the inexcusable state of affairs, major news outlets are further promoting an anti-Israel narrative.
This, to the great disservice of Palestinians.
Learn more about PCS Week and demand the end of the use of Palestinian child soldiers
