WhatsappWhy do Israeli victims of Hamas terrorism not get covered extensively in Western media? Is there a conspiracy of silence? Is it a result of poor reporting?
Background
First of all, some facts. There is no lack of knowledge by reporters. There are more reporters in Israel from nearly every major news source than any other country that is the size of Israel. So many news agencies exist in multiple languages in Israel. There is no issue receiving the right information.
So then what is it? Matti Friedman is a professional journalist who has covered Israel extensively. He explained that the main issue is that stories such as the story of Hamas killing an unborn baby simply doesn’t fit in well with the narrative that many Western organizations have about Israel. The narrative goes something like this:
“Israel occupied Arab Land in 1967. That is the source of all problems in the Middle East. If Israel were to withdraw from those Arab lands and establish a Palestinian State on those Arab lands, then there would be peace in the Middle East.”
Problems with the Narrative
The narrative is wrong on around 10 levels. First of all, Arabs have fought wars against Israel way before 1967. Secondly, Arab countries have fought at least 5 wars against Israel. The Arabs inside Israel are a minor threat to Israel compared to Israel’s neighboring Arab countries.
Even more important, the entire concept of Judea and Samaria being Arab land is totally false and divorced from history. Even the Arabs never claimed that these were Arab lands until the last few decades. But more important than anything else, there is no such thing as a distinct Palestinian people. This fiction is a PR success, but it has no connection to reality. It was invented in the last few decades.
It’s Good to be an Arab in Israel
Most of the Arabs in Israel came to the land that the State of Israel now exists on, in order to have more economic opportunity. These very same Arabs choose to stay in Israel today because there is no better option for them in the Middle East today.
If there would be a better option for Arabs in Israel to immigrate to, that would lead to a more peaceful reality in the Land of Israel. For now, Israel needs to just be patient and stay strong in the fight against terror.
