Two paragraphs in two different stories in the media demonstrate the worst aspects of the continuing coverage of the wave of terror attacks against Israelis over the past few months.
The Guardian, in a story on the Israeli seizure of 4,000 Palestinian stone-thrower dolls includes this:
During a recent upsurge in violence between Israelis and Palestinians, both sides have accused each other of inciting violence. Since mid-September, Palestinians have killed 21 Israelis in stabbings, shootings and deliberate car crashes, while Israelis have killed 117 Palestinians, 76 of them said by Israel to be assailants.
There is an appalling moral equivalence at work here. While The Guardian’s Peter Beaumont writes that “both sides have accused each other of inciting violence,” is this really the case? Is there anything remotely equivalent or comparable on the Israeli side to the Palestinian incitement that has manifested itself in public encouragement to violence from the Palestinian leadership and social media campaigns actively promoting the murder of Jews?
As for the rest of the paragraph, for Beaumont, Palestinians are killing Israelis and Israelis are killing Palestinians. Period. Why does he not recognize the difference between Palestinian terrorism, which intends to injure and murder Israelis, and Israeli self-defense? Instead, both sides are equally morally culpable for the bloodshed.
A similar moral equivalence and ambiguity can be found in this paragraph in the International Business Times:
Tensions have continued to mount between Palestinians and Israelis as frustrations continue to grow over Israel’s occupation which is illegal under international law, with near-daily assaults taking place since 1 October 2015. The attacks have killed 117 Palestinians, 17 Israelis, an American and an Eritrean.
In the eyes of the IBT, both Palestinian terrorism against Israel and Israeli counter-measures are all simply “attacks.” This also has the added implication of categorizing Israeli actions as aggressive. This, despite the fact that only one side – the Palestinians – are actively initiating the violence.
According to the IBT’s logic, if a Palestinian assailant is shot dead in the course of what is clearly a terrorist attack, this also means that the act of Israeli self-defense is also classified as an “attack.”
In addition, the IBT blames the entire situation solely on growing frustrations “over Israel’s occupation which is illegal under international law.” Even if we put aside the inaccurate statement on the illegality of Israel’s presence in the disputed territories (there are other legal opinions that say otherwise), choosing to ignore the Palestinian incitement, hatred and religious extremism fueling the violence while blaming it on “occupation” shows a one-sided and ideological agenda behind the reporting.
Yet more evidence of the faulty framing through which some of the media is viewing the Palestinian wave of violence.
[sc:bottomsignup ]
15 Comments
Theres a big difference between attack and defence.
The Palastinians continue to attack and murder Jews whom they hate.
The Jews on the other hand are living in the land of Israel bequethed to them by our creator God over 3000 years ago.
I make no apology for quoting from the Holy Bible, it Is after all recognised as a reliable History of mankinds birth, life and spiritual journey through the ages.
The Bible is clear, read Amos 9:15 God is speaking “I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the Land I have given them”
Another quote from scripture, Ezekiel 37:25 “And they shall dwell in the land that I have given Jacob… they and their children, and their childrens children forever.”
“It shall be an everlasting covenant with them…. and shall set My sancuary in the midst of them for evermore”
These are some of the promises God made to His Chosen People and His Land, Israel.
Those who believe that the land is occupied by the Jews have been deceived and are going against God’s wishes.
Israel make up less than 1% of the middle east lands, why dont the Arabs who live in the balance of 99% of that part of the world not give some space to the Palastinians?
Are they or are they not their brothers keeper?
IBT blaming the entire situation solely on growing frustrations “over Israel’s occupation which is illegal under international law.” Is ridiculous who the hell do they think they are in trying to replace Gods law with “international law??
Gods Laws are eternal not “international” with a limited shelf life.
Russian Israeli poet Igor Guberman wrote the following (in my poor translation from original Russian):
“The Jew is bad not just because he eats his bread,
But while he’s living in his home,
He has become so violent that he
Dares put resistance during pogrom.”
Kinda sums it up, right?
The occupation is not illegal under international law. It’s legality has been upheld by the UN. It’s the settlements that are considered to be illegal and there is no excuse for the Independent to confuse the two.
defence to an aggressive act can never be an attack, it remains defence….and telling otherwise makes no sense, so nonsense?
The problems at the present time are entirly due to Abbas who promotes websites, TV , Radio, media and school curricular, that encourage and incite violence against Jews, not just Israelis. Until this is addrssed and the Palestinians are encouraged and educated to settle peaceably, nothing will change.
Just proves that the media is “controlled by Jews”, right? Yes, if those media-controlling Jews are paid by saudi arabia, or some other arabia..
This is immoral equivalency on the part of the media.
Moral equivalence has no place in war. If an enemy tries to knife me and misses it is my job that he does’t try again. Should i cut his arm off?
Look, the Guardian et al are lying antisemitic scum, upholding the proud tradition of the Stuermer. That is what they do.
I hope that the will realize the difference in actions. The Palestinians deliberatly targeted Israeli’s while the secuity forces of Israel, killed those who attacked them. This is a defensive move by Israel and an offensive move by the Palestinian territories.
I have learned long ago that the media is the last place one should go to search for the truth. The media is not doing what it was supposed to be doing that is reportring the facts. Instead, they are employing some half cocked indviduals with the minimum of knowledge and aptitude to poduce a piece which will sell papers.Therefore , it is no surprise that they confuse victims with perpetrators, terrorists with innocent citizens and self defense with murder
Liars and leftwing fools are the equivalent. This is why they are living their last days.
Well we have a strong Israel Robert and it is obvious that the surrounding arab states are well aware and in private, show due respect accordingly. Abbas is weak and does not have the infrastructure to run a state. This I feel is the main problem for any sort of settlement. What he really wants is for Israel to disappear wtihout any military effort on his part. This is not going to happen and is less likey as the years go by. I repeat that it is essential for a generation of Palestinians to grow up under a regime that educates its children with a peace achieving philosophy. This will take at least another two or three generations – at least. Possibly longer. In the meantime, Israel will stay where it is, Obam and the EU not withstanding.
Imagine if the headline were 116 Jews killed while attempting to stab “Palestinians”. There would be a UN resolution and a demand for troops on the ground as well as outcries of apratheid, racism and you know the rest.