The Observer, published on Sundays, is The Guardian’s sister newspaper. While it has a separate editorial policy, it shares many of the same journalists and therefore plenty of the same anti-Israel bias.
So when Bethan McKernan writes for The Observer, you can expect the sort of bias that appears in her and Hazem Balousha’s latest from Gaza:
The dictionary definition of a siege is:
the act or process of surrounding and attacking a fortified place in such a way as to isolate it from help and supplies, for the purpose of lessening the resistance of the defenders and thereby making capture possible.
Israel does not want to capture Gaza. Israel withdrew its soldiers and its civilian population from the Gaza Strip in the 2005 Disengagement. If Israel wished to retake Gaza, it would not need to lay siege to the territory before using its considerable military power to retake it.
Related reading: Coronavirus And 7 Reasons Why There’s No ‘Gaza Siege’
Which is why McKernan’s description in the story’s opening paragraph of the Gaza Strip as “occupied” is inaccurate and misleading.
Israel unilaterally withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005.
The @ObserverUK needs to understand: Gaza👏 isn't 👏 occupied. 👏https://t.co/yr7bqxvEJA pic.twitter.com/9j9R0g7TPd
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) October 1, 2023
McKernan continues:
The siege, now in its 16th year, has exacted a devastating toll on the strip’s 2.2 million trapped inhabitants; four wars and several smaller battles with Israel since Hamas seized power have devastated the infrastructure and economy of the 17 square miles. Clean water, electricity and adequate medical care are in short supply.
The reality is that it is not the non-existent “siege” that has devastated Gaza but the actions of its Hamas rulers whom McKernan never thinks to attribute any responsibility for the situation. Were Hamas to have focused its attention on the livelihoods and welfare of its people instead of building terror infrastructure, firing thousands of rockets at Israeli civilians, and initiating terrorist activities, the Gaza Strip may be a very different place today.
It’s far easier for McKernan to simply blame Israel and absolve Hamas. But what kind of “siege” allows basic food items, medicine, and other humanitarian goods into Gaza? Since Hamas came to power, trucks pass over the border with Israel almost every day, laden with these supplies. There have been no reports of starvation or health epidemics in Gaza.
Related reading: The Gaza Blockade: An Explainer
McKernan also says:
The restrictions caused by the occupation may limit artistic expression but it remains a lifeline for many.
We’ve already established that Gaza is not “occupied.” But “the occupation” is terminology usually used by Palestinians to describe Israel or the IDF. It is not terminology that should be adopted by a supposedly mainstream media outlet or journalist.
Failure to Differentiate Between Terrorists and Civilians
McKernan refers to Israel’s five-day Operation Shield and Arrow in May 2023 as “a surprise offensive that left 33 Palestinians and two people in Israel dead” — failing to differentiate between combatants and civilians.
Of the 33 dead Palestinians, 22 of them, a majority, were confirmed as members of terror organizations or involved in violence. The two people killed in Israel were both civilians.
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We’ve contacted The Observer to ask that the reference to Gaza as “occupied” is corrected as well as registering our complaints about the innate bias in the story.
If you would like to add your voice, send your considered comments to The Observer: [email protected]
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