About a week ago, I came across a few news articles regarding the latest conflict in Gaza. As I kept reading, it was unclear why Israel started bombing. From there, the logical assumption was that the bombings came out of the blue. I was confused at first, but then I finally stumbled upon a single sentence which stated that Israel was actually responding to Hamas’s attacks. Apparently, Hamas broke the peace treaty and had already attacked Israel six times before Israel finally retaliated. I was appalled that all of this was described in once sentence, and the article resumed to blaming Israel for killing innocent civilians. Were the Israelis who were killed due to suicide bombers, blown up schools and buses not innocent civilians? It still amazes me how easily people seem to ignore the fact that Hamas has dropped 6400 rockets, bombs, and motor shells on Israel since the beginning of this conflict. Are people expecting Israel to sit and just accept these attacks without retaliation?
Hamas fired more than 40 rockets at Israel’s southern towns and cities on January 1st, 2009 alone. One Katyusha rocket was dropped onto an eight-story apartment building in the Israeli port city of Ashdod. It surprises me that Hamas is a terrorist organization, yet people are sympathizing with them. Not many people know that Israel is taking in Palestinian civilians from the Gaza area to avoid unnecessary casualties. This led me to wonder why this aspect is not talked about in the news. It simply doesn’t make any sense to side with a terrorist organization.
I finally came to the conclusion that had the media portrayed facts about both sides, then maybe American citizens would not be so quick to blame Israel for being inhumane. I have asked students at Berkeley, UCLA, U.C. Santa Cruz, S.F. State, Stanford, Yale, and Harvard if they could name positive and negative facts about Israel. It was fairly easy for them to say things like, “Israeli soldiers kill Palestinian women and children.” (As if Hamas and Palestinian suicide bombers take extra precaution to specifically target Israeli combatants). However, they had a much harder time coming up with positive facts such as: Israel took in the most Sudanese refugees of the Sudan genocide. Or that Israel is currently providing more food and medical aid to Gaza than Palestine or any other country for that matter. It is beyond me why these facts are not written about as often as for example, the number of people who were killed under Israeli fire. Aren’t humanitarian acts just as important to publicize as acts of retaliation? It simply doesn’t make sense…
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Right On. I completely agree
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot more information that hasn't been shown... The US has been showing that 6,400 bombs, rockets, and mortar shells were used against Israel since the beginning of Hamas's existance in Gaza, but in reality over 10,000 bombs, rockets, and mortar shells have been shot into Southern Israel already. Israel has been waiting long enough with this injustice and have the full right to take matters into their own hands. When Hamas broke the Peace pact with Israel by attacking them, they knew that they would be putting all of the Gaza civilians into the chance of being killed. Israel has nothing against Gaza, they are only interested in keeping their people safe, and the only way to do so is by ending Hamas and their control over Gaza. If Israel was going after Gaza they wouldn't be taking in Gaza civilians to hide them from the rocket fire coming from Israeli military bases, just as well Israel has gone into Gaza, they will get rid of Hamas, and rebuild all of Gaza with their own money which will allow the civilians of Gaza to return to the city in new homes.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with this article
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with you Yelena.
ReplyDeleteIsreal picks on other countries, while other countries pick on Iseal. It's been happening ever since. Sad isn't it? ):
Sad it is indeed! However I dare to disagree slightly with you. Israel does not "pick" on countries without a reason. Look at the current conflict in Gaza. Israel was patient and was not in a hurry to attack Hamas. However it seems that Hamas was literally ASKING for it. They kept attacking Israel. SO finally, after 6 attacks from Hamas, tell me, what is Israel left to do? Just sit there and watch its country go down in flames? Never in a million years! If your house was being attacked...I doubt you would wait until it got attacked six times to do something about it. Your would act upon it immediately. If you are still with me, then what does that say about Israel? That it is one of the more patient countries who do not simply go to war to "BLOW STUFF UP." Agreed?
ReplyDeleteIt is no secret that US media is EXTREMELY biased, but what makes no sense is the fact that US supports Israel on world political arena by supplying weapons and humanitarian aid. So why bash on Israel if this is your ONLY ally in the Missle East (Turkey is not exactly an ally, just plays along because wants to be in EU) ? CNN and BBC tell nothing but BS. They never mentioned 1600 dead Ossetians and Georgian initial attack on South Ossetia, BUT they showed Russian army as evil force of invaders who came to break territorial solidity of Georgia. Now lets not get carried away into another conflict, my point is simply that western media = BS. Has anyone seen scenes from New Orleans after Katrina struck? no. Streets were filled with corpses and trash. Army was in Iraq, "fighting for democracy"(of oil), instead of cleaning the ruins and helping those in need. Tax money was turned into tanks and guns, but city is still a mess, even today. Did CNN show it? NO ! But Dr Phill and mentally ill jusge Judy were entertaining public. At the same time, German TV showed the true scenes of New Orleans, truly horific scenes. US media = BS
ReplyDeleteHi Lena
ReplyDeleteI think the main reason many prefer to sympathize with Hamas is because of the disparity in capabilities and in casualties. Since Hamas is militarily vastly inferior to the IDF, the only channel left to it is retaliation against Israeli civilians and informational war. The reason Israel makes some humanitarian measures is not, of course, due to altruism or love of Palestinians, but to counter the Palestinians' successes on the TV screen.
That said, Israel is only doing what any normal self-respecting state would do, countering a threat to its civilians, and if I were an Israeli I'd fully the military measures to destroy Hamas. (Although not a ground invasion, since urban areas are bad for IDF casualties and therefore national morale. I'd restrict it to an air campaign and bombing of all identified Hamas targets).
"The reason Israel makes some humanitarian measures is not, of course, due to altruism or love of Palestinians, but to counter the Palestinians' successes on the TV screen."
ReplyDelete--------------------------------------
I agree to a certain extent...but what's the point if they don't get any media attention for any of the good things that they do?
People choose to ignore even the most obvious points. For the last couple of Palestinian protests, it was fairly quiet. Tomorrow in San Francisco there is a counter protest (Israelis are doing the protesting this time)...Let's see how many fights break out (People trying to stop this specific protest) ...
...Also check out the Palestinian protesters' posters. They don't seem very nice towards the Jews/Israelis. Let's see how many negative posters tomorrow will bring in. (Besides Israeli and American flags...I doubt people are going to carry negative slogans towards any group of people)...but then again...we'll see
Yes, this is true that the U.S. media is corrupt. News agencies should give true and full information and let the people decide for themselves who is right and who is wrong in any political situation. Israel has the right to defend its citizens and land. If my house was being attacked, I would not wait for it to be attacked five more times. I would retaliate immediately. This shows that indeed agreeing with Lena, that Israel is not in a hurry to simply blow things up. They attack only when absolutely necessary.
ReplyDeleteSince I have neither experienced the day to day hardships of an Israeli or a Palestinian I cant say I'm definitely right. However I'd like to support and refute some ideas from an observer's perspective.
ReplyDeleteYes, I absolutely agree with most of you guys on the corruption of the US media. Watching CNN is sometimes unbearable in the mundane things they cover.
Yelena, you have to realize that like what Sublime Oblivion mentioned above, Hamas is vastly inferior in terms of weapons technologies to Israel. Yes Hamas fired rockets first multiple times into Israel but those killed like 2 or 3 people Israelis. Israel responded by firing a far more deadlier rocket and killed 600 Palestinians. This is not exactly a proportionate response, which is probably why the media is more sympathetic towards Hamas despite its terrorist group classification. I always keep in mind though that "one man's terrorist is another man's hero." It really all depends on perspective, while I definitely don't condone senseless violence, some Palestinians (Hamas does not =all Palestinians, or even fighters for that matter) definitely have reasons to fight Israel and its understandable that they do. Of course if I was Israel I would retaliate in force too so I am not taking sides here.
This is a bitter conflict that has very deep roots and reasons... I don't really see an end to it unfortunately.. unless one wipes the other out, and it looks like Israel is going to do that first.
I think it's less corruption in the media, but rather they can gain more by selling this story as something people would feel very strongly about. If they bash Israel, they sell more articles, which is also why people should take their news with a grain of salt, and assume that they're only getting half the story (if that). It seems to be true most of the time. Thanks for clearing up the facts.
ReplyDelete