Blaming Palestinians for Hamas rocket strikes while ignoring Israel’s occupation

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Since the violence between Israel and Palestine escalated, I’ve been avoiding the major news outlets such as BBC and CNN because I already knew what they were going to say and how they were going to frame the events.

It will be along the lines of ‘rockets were fired from Gaza so Israel had to strike back infinitely stronger in the name of ‘self-defence’. Honestly, I’m sick of hearing that skewed narrative.

However when I tuned in to the New Zealand news, I saw that our news is not exactly exempt from that same formula, albeit without the intense support and sympathy for Israel.

Even though our news did mention the shocking statistics, the wording and manner of description makes all the difference. To structure the description of events in this particular order creates the sense that one side is to blame and the other is simply protecting themselves.

After digging just a bit deeper into the history and details of the conflict, the absurdity of this claim is crystal clear to anyone who is willing to open their eyes and see it. USA backed Israel with the world’s most sophisticated weaponry are forced to ‘protect themselves’ from people who basically live in an open air prison and have no army or no such weaponry? Really? As George Galloway described it, Palestinians are being ‘slaughtered like fish in a barrel’.

But what I am happy to see is the increasing number of people who are starting to see through the propaganda.

The rise of social media has given people the opportunity to gather their information from a variety of sources. This means that more people are realising who the real perpetrator is and it’s definitely not the oppressed and colonised population, because it never is. I’m relieved to see an increasing number of people waking up, doing their research and gathering a more holistic and accurate account of events. Less people are buying into the ‘self-defence’ argument, and this is the exact change we need to see in the world in order to play our part to stop the atrocities.

TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com

In the past, the power of divestment, boycott and peaceful protest has already proved to us that it is stronger than anyone could’ve imagined. Remember South Africa? When everyone said that it couldn’t be done, it got done. The same can happen now. All it takes is education and activism.

11 COMMENTS

  1. The more I witness of Israel’s naked aggression, the less sympathy I have for them.

    If this is how Israel wants to “burn” away international support, it is going the right way about it.

    The next time Hamas or other organisation explodes a bomb in Israel, I suspect few and fewer people will see it as an act of “terrorism”, and more as an on-going war between a powerful aggressor and a repressed people.

    The spirits of six million dead will not be resting in peace at what the Israeli government and military are doing.

    • One thing always puzzles me about the people with your view……
      Why no one mentions anything about Hamas?
      Why no one complaints about Hamas firing rockets intentionally aiming civilian?
      What would happened if Israeli targeted the civilian? What would be your reaction then?
      Why no comments about Hamas using human shield as well as the mosques and schools and hospitals to protect their weapons?

      Why no words about Arabs murdering three innocent Israeli teenagers?

      What would happen if Mexico & Canada started firing rockets into US civilian areas? Would you still hold the same opinion?

      The media is clearly in favor of Arabs and Muslim societies for many reasons including Oil.

  2. What needs to be stressed about the Israel/Palestine conflict is that Israel is a UN mandated invasion of Palestine.

    • The UN gave birth to the monster, which now takes no notice whatsoever of the UN. I’ll be actively boycotting any Israeli products from now on, not just stuff made in the settlements/colonies. I’m still unsure about an academic boycott, but I will not collaborate with anyone who is known to support the state atrocities of this foul country.

      As far as the failings of the Palestinians are concerned – I don’t really care. The problem is the sadistic mentality of Zionism as it has developed. That needs to be fixed before anything else.

  3. Those maps, scarily, say a great deal about what is happening. Why is the United Nations doing nothing, or less than nothing?

  4. Where is New Zealand’s voice objecting to this carnage and the illegal occupation of land, thus showing its at least a token obligation to justice and peace.

    Has our “Leader” been radicalised by Zionist propaganda or family commitment.

  5. Agree Latifa. Thank goodness for independent media & social media. I am concerned though with the TPPA’s intellectual property chapter and the abolishment of net neutrality how long people will have the freedom to express. Education and activism must continue regardless. Cheers.

  6. CNN is a major news outlet? Youtube shows get more viewers than they do, alot of them under 72 too. I will never stop sympathizing with the Israelis, the state of Israel however, different kettle of fish.
    Please don’t blame the citizenry that have for the most part fallen for an elaborate ruse.

    To see the depths of how absurd the idea that this is a ‘conflict’ and not just a back alley shanking, look at some of the ideas of Netanyahu or Sharon. I promise you’ve never seen a politician so flagrantly throw their weight around, “Israel may have the right to put others on trial, but certainly non one has the right to put the Jewish people and the State of Israel on trial”.

    Theology is a hell of a drug.

  7. I’ve stopped caring and I didn’t even bother to read the article above because I know exactly what it’ll say. The same thing that commentators have been saying about the issue for 50 years.
    Instead let’s get real – Israel is never, ever going to change or show any empathy for the plight of Palestinians. After centuries of brutal oppression throughout all of Europe Israeli’s have finally established a secure state and protection for their people. They aren’t going to give that up for a bunch of incompetent and whiny Arab farmers. As for the Palestinians they have not managed to achieve anything in over 60 years other then living off handouts from the UN and picking pointless fights with one of the best military forces in the world.
    If they want to spend the next century killing each others children there is nothing anyone can do to stop it so let’s leave them to it.

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