The foreign affairs reporting in our West Australian newspaper continues to be full of propaganda and lies and a huge lack of context. Let’s be sure to recognise that these reports are not prepared locally. They are picked up from international bureaus and reproduced.
Some of the stories coming out of Israel regarding the media are quite incredible. Take for example the account of journalists on the Gaza border who put on protective vests and hard hats, stand on the Gaza border, and film news clips to give the impression they are in the middle of a war zone. Then they retire to Israeli cafe’s for a Latte.
Yesterday the West Australian had a report that cited Tel Aviv as the Capital of Israel. The eternal Capital of Israel is and will remain Jerusalem. That’s where you can find the Parliament building. That is Israel’s sovereign right. It is both impartial and incorrect to deliberately deny citing a Capital location on the basis of a political position.
Today we have some grotesque coverage. One article showing a picture of a crushed orange grove (complete with an Israeli irrigation system), proposes that Hamas has survived and will rebuild, and mentions that the Hamas leader Haniyeh “survived” the Gaza war. It did not mention that he was in Syria, and has been nowhere near Gaza.
There is also an article that claims 1,300 people died in the Israeli raids including 400 children. It also says 5,300 were wounded. However these figures are not sourced. A quick internet check shows that they were provided by “Palestinian medics”. These are the same people who claim they killed 74 IDF soliders, captured 2 IDF soldiers alive, downed 3 IAF helicopters and one IAF drone. In short the statistics cited cannot be believed or verified to be true. Especially when 16 year old terrorists in combat are counted as civilian children.
The West notes that the ceasefire is holding, but does not mention the 20 mortars and rocket shells that were fired into Israel yesterday.
The West has an article about the UN commissioner for Human Rights calling for a war crimes probe against Israeli troops regarding 48 deaths at the Gazan village of Zeitoun. An eyewitness account claims a soldier gunned down a family in cold blood. There are claims the soldiers left graffiti calling for death to Arabs. They claim Israeli forces forced 110 people into a house then shelled it, and 30 bodies were recovered. They claimed Israeli troops shot at ambulances. After a half page of images and commentary showing the Israeli army to be inhumane, the only balancing comment is a statement that “The Israeli army has denied acting improperly in Zeitoun”. The article also accuses Israel of blasting Gaza with depleted uranium (an age old false carnard), and using white phosphorus (with no mention that the Red Cross had confirmed there was no illegality associated with this).
Take it from me, the above actions are not the actions of the Israeli army. They are lies and propaganda. The Israeli military would not tolerate or permit such action, and this article is one huge incriminating lie against Israel.
So all the above shows Israel to be an aggressive and immoral nation. The Israel side of the story is nowhere to be seen. There are no stories of how Israeli’s have suffered from trauma, how evacuated schools were indiscriminately bombed, how soldiers navigated booby traps and kidnap attempts, how extreme measures were taken to avoid civilian casualty, how aid and medical assistance has been provided. This is a different reality, the real Israel, one that the media does not want to display.
Above and beyond this, there are also a number of relevant events and findings which have occurred since the Israeli withdrawal, yet have not been reported by the West. For example:
According to the Jerusalem Post and other sources, Hamas are rounding up and shooting Fatah members in Gaza.
According to Jordanian news agency Petra charitable aid was ambushed by gunmen and redirected (stolen) when it crossed the Gaza border.
Fatah (which is the “moderate” Palestinians under the rule of now former PA President Mahmoud Abbas) proudly claims that they participated in the war against Israel in Gaza alongside Hamas, shooting 102 Rockets, 35 mortars, their snipers hitting 3 soldiers, exploding 5 IEDs.
There are many more stories that we need to hear and understand for both truth and context that have no coverage whatsoever.
The West Australian continues to produce internationally syndicated media that comes straight from the Palestinian propaganda machine. It is false, it vilifies Israel, and it builds hatred against Jewish people. It is the modern day blood libel of our time.