“Why hasn’t there been a Palestinian state?” was the question posed in a recent segment on NPR’s flagship news show “All Things Considered.”
Tasked with answering one of the thorniest questions in the Israel-Palestinian conflict was veteran journalist and NPR’s International Affairs Correspondent, Jackie Northam.
Northam’s opening statement served as a harbinger of the historical revisionism to come. “In mid-May, three European leaders took to the podium in a stand for Palestinians,” she said.
It’s mind-boggling that a respected veteran reporter could attempt to pass off such a contentious statement as journalistic observation. Is the “recognition” of a Palestinian state truly a “stand for Palestinians,” as countless other partisan hacks would have us believe?
Anyone with a basic understanding of geopolitics can see that last month’s stunt by the leaders of Spain, Ireland, and Norway is anything but a genuine effort toward peace.
First, it’s important to note that these countries haven’t so much as recognized a Palestinian state as they have conjured one.
Little thought has been given to the geographical boundaries of this new state, which, given the territorial disputes with Israel, is a rather critical point to have agreed upon.
And what about this new state’s governance? Will Hamas or the Palestinian Authority be in charge? Will there even be elections?
Second, was this a stand for Palestinians or for Hamas? It’s curious that Spain, Norway, and Ireland decided to recognize Palestinian statehood after the October 7 Hamas attacks, not before. If it looks like a reward for the October 7 massacre, it’s because it is.
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Northam then describes how the Palestinian fight for statehood dates back over 75 years, mentioning the Palestinian rejection and Jewish acceptance of the UN Partition Plan that would have created an independent Palestinian state alongside a Jewish one.
But what follows is a masterclass in historical fiction, rewriting facts to promote a completely false narrative.
She claims “fighting began in 1947 and again the following year,” before “Arab states came to the Palestinians’ aid.”
So, according to NPR, a coalition of surrounding Arab states attempting to use their superior military might to annihilate the fledgling Jewish state is “coming to the Palestinians’ aid.”
She then fast-forwards to immediately after the 1967 war, suggesting it was almost used as a pretext for an Israeli land grab, because “settlers snatched more land, and for decades, the effort to create a Palestinian homeland faded.”
It’s an act of journalistic malfeasance to mention both Yasser Arafat and the Oslo Accords without informing listeners about the Second Intifada or, indeed, Palestinian terrorism altogether.
NPR’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas war has, as we have previously highlighted, plumbed new depths of bias and journalistic ineptitude. NPR’s latest offering on the elusiveness of Palestinian statehood is, unfortunately, no different.
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