Media Coverage in the Palestinian Struggle

Amplify
Written By Al Fusaic

By Sonia Caballero Pradas

Image from Al Jazeera

Regional and international eyes have been closely watching the recent violence in occupied Palestine, the West Bank, and Gaza Strip. Although the occupation of Palestine has persisted since 1948, there has been a significant new operation by the Israeli forces: the storm of Al Aqsa Mosque. 

It has been three weeks since the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) entered East Jerusalem’s Palestinian neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah for forced evictions of Palestinian homes; in effort to replace them with Israeli settlements. This ongoing strategy contradicts the UN 1967 two-state solution and has allowed the State of Israel to gain more territory and keep expanding their domains illegally, making the establishment of two separated states an impossible task right now. This is showcased through the realities of the more than 5 million Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza, which is under the control of the State of Israel, especially in regards to its water supplies and electricity (allotting roughly four hours per day in Gaza, for example). Furthermore, Israel restricts the trade of goods and services between Palestinian cities and the Israeli market, including access to infrastructure, home-building permits, Palestinian tax revenues, and more recently, COVID-19 vaccines. 

Israel has violated the 1954 Hague Convention that demands cultural sites be protected when the IDF recently fired tear gas into the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the third holiest place in the world for Muslims. The IDF also targeted Palestinians who were inside praying during the month of Ramadan with rubber bullets. The international community has been able to witness this immense violence through the phones of Palestinians and their live videos on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; resulting in global protests. While a ceasefire has been agreed to, many sites in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed, more than 200 Palestinians have been murdered, and 9,000 Palestinians have been displaced internally. Demonstrations continue in the West Bank as well as in other cities throughout the world such as Amman, New York, Melbourne, and Paris. However, many protesters seem not to know the reason for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision, which can partially be attributed to Israel’s March 23rd national elections.

Netanyahu’s failure in this year’s elections potentially paved the way for Yair Lapid (the leader of the centrist party, Yesh Atid) and Naftali Bennett (the leader of the ultra-right party Yamina) to join forces for a 61-member parliamentary majority to lead a new Israeli government. If Lapid and Bennett achieve such an agreement, Netanyahu will no longer remain prime minister of Israel. Following the advice of his security minister, Amir Ohana, Netanyahu decided to favor the chaos in the already controversial occupied territories, stalling the possible agreement between Lapid and Bennett. Furthermore, to counteract the international condemnation of his brutality towards Palestinians, Netanyahu has launched a strong and manipulative propaganda campaign victimizing Israeli citizens as an attempt to restore the image of Israel internationally.

An important generalization has been drawn to cause this effect: the ever-present portrayal of Palestinians as anti-Semitic and threatening terrorists. This strategy seems to be credible enough to many political leaders, like United States President Joe Biden, whose administration has recently approved a $735 million arms sale to Israel. At the same time, Gaza is mourning the massacre of 28 children killed by this type of funding. Similarly, Israel’s attempt to depict Palestine as the villain of the story has influenced Western newspapers, which have accused celebrities who use their social media to show solidarity with Palestinians as ‘anti-Semitic and Hamas supporters’.

The media has always been a double-edged sword given its influence on the widespread perception of current events. This is why, to counteract their very low coverage, Palestinians have always been their own reporters in advocating for and asking for international help as well as spreading awareness of the occupation they endure. Being informed is the first step in the pursuit of resistance and freedom. Perhaps, as Palestinians replace their rocks with social media, the rest of the world should reconsider the multi-edged biases of the media they consume. 

Instagram Accounts to Follow for More Details:

Online newspapers:

References

Al Fusaic
Previous

Omer Adam
Next

A Glance at the Muslim Community in the United States