It’s not only The New York Times sanitizing the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror organization and its genocidal ambitions.
This time, The Washington Post’s Miriam Berger provides her readers with an inaccurate and misleading portrait of Islamic Jihad.
Why does @washingtonpost's Islamic Jihad profile feel like a whitewash of the terror group and a justification for its actions?
➡Islamic Jihad's commitment to Israel's destruction is omitted while this description of Israel leaves much to be desired. 🧵https://t.co/ncWQMtVUHR pic.twitter.com/150n7vRCyS
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) May 14, 2023
In “What is Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the militant group Israel is targeting in Gaza?” Berger describes Islamic Jihad as a group “committed to armed resistance against Israel, a self-described Jewish state established in 1948 on land Palestinians claim,” “more ideologically extreme” than Hamas, and “focused on the Palestinian struggle.”
Aside from her seeming justification for Islamic Jihad’s terrorism as steeped in a decades-old territorial dispute, the most glaring flaw in this analysis is Berger’s failure to mention Islamic Jihad’s raison d’etre: The destruction of Israel and its replacement with an Islamic state.
If other major news organizations, such as Reuters and CBS, can depict Islamic Jihad’s genocidal aims accurately, why do Miriam Berger and The Washington Post feel the need to whitewash the organization with such sanitized and deceptive terms as “resistance” and “Palestinian struggle”?
Islamic Jihad's primary goal is the destruction of #Israel through #terrorism. So why are the media trying to whitewash what the #terrorist group and its militants stand for? #IslamicJihad pic.twitter.com/SKvlqCDLSV
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) May 9, 2023
Related Reading: Brief Profile: What is Palestinian Islamic Jihad?
In addition, Berger’s piece is also chock full of claims that are both misleading and lacking in a proper context.
For example, she writes that “Israel — which controls and restricts nearly all passage of people, goods and humanitarian services into and out of Gaza — on Tuesday announced a complete border closure for at least several days.”
With this one sentence, and by ignoring facts on the ground, Berger draws a picture of Israeli malevolence in its treatment of Gaza.
Despite @MiriamABerger‘s claims:
➡Egypt also controls access via its Gaza border.
➡Israeli border crossings were closed for safety reasons. Terrorists actually attacked them on Saturday.
➡Israel has issued over 15k work permits to Gazans.
➡Hamas is also responsible for Gaza. pic.twitter.com/Bp5PYJy5cz— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) May 14, 2023
Related Reading: Media Silence: Hamas Rockets Prevent Israel-approved Aid From Entering Gaza (VIDEO)
Furthermore, Berger writes that “In August 2022, at least 47 Palestinians, including 16 children, were killed in the Gaza Strip in a three-day air battle that began after Israel assassinated an Islamic Jihad leader there.”
This overly simplistic description of Operation Breaking Dawn ignores that operation’s initiation in response to Islamic Jihad’s mobilizing to attack Israel, its launching of over 1,000 rockets at Israel during this time, and that the Palestinian casualties included PIJ terrorists as well as Gazans who were killed by errant PIJ rockets.
Similarly, Berger misrepresents Palestinian casualty figures for 2022 by failing to note that the majority of Palestinians killed during this time were engaged in violence against Israelis.
Lastly, Berger describes this latest operation as part of a “cycle of violence.” As HonestReporting has previously noted, the terminology is a misnomer that seeks to create a false moral equivalence between Palestinian terrorism and Israeli defensive responses.
In this instance, the IDF was responding to Islamic Jihad’s launching of over a hundred rockets and mortars at Israel the week prior.
➡There is no “cycle of violence.” This misused terminology implies a moral equivalence when Palestinians initiate violence and terror and Israel responds with counter-terror measures to defend its civilians. It did not begin when Israel fired back. pic.twitter.com/R5fp6gVzVm
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) May 14, 2023
It’s time for The Washington Post to provide its readers with a complete and accurate report, not one that whitewashes Palestinian terrorism while also deceiving readers with context-free claims and misleading assertions.
Liked this article? Follow HonestReporting on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to see even more posts and videos debunking news bias and smears, as well as other content explaining what’s really going on in Israel and the region. Get updates direct to your phone. Join our WhatsApp and Telegram channels!
Photo Credit: Majdi Fathi via TPS
© Divuach Ne’eman R”A, 2025
