Trust

Events of the past few days around the world have made me wonder I can still trust media or government to truthfully report facts rather than what suits their mindset.

On October 7th, Hamas terrorists invaded southern Israel, entered the homes of innocent civilians, and slaughtered or kidnapped over 1200 Israelis. Much of the Western world reacted with justifiable revulsion at this grotesque action and came out in support of Israel.

Yet, even early on, the BBC among others, instructed their journalists to not refer to the Hamas perpetrators as “terrorists” but, rather, as “militants” or “fighters” lest they appear to be “taking sides”. 

In what world do armed, well trained, fighters who enter civilian homes with the express intent to kill and terrorize not get labelled terrorists?

Reluctance to label things as they are underscores the depths to which anti-Semitism has penetrated once venerated mainstream and government funded western news organizations.

Once Israel reacted militarily, the narrative shifted. It went from shock over Hamas’ violent murders and kidnappings of civilian Israelis to the “inhuman Israeli counterattack” on Gaza’s infrastructure where Hamas stores its weapons, missiles, and fighters among the civilian population whom they use as human shields.

Lee: Hamas libera a dos rehenes israelíes que estaban cautivas en Gaza

The hitherto “serious” media carried verbatim Hamas propaganda with respect to the cause of their attack on Israel, blaming the Israelis for the action that led to the wanton murder of Israelis. This is akin to blaming the victim for the crime!

This played right into the hands of terrorist organizations and served to help many legitimize anti-Israel and anti-Jewish demonstrations that called for attacks on Jewish institutions and individuals. 

Thousands of students at respected universities around the world like Harvard, Yale and Stanford blamed Israel, supported Hamas, and the obliteration of Israel and the creation of a single Palestinian state free of Jews. 

University authorities should have taken more concrete steps to protect their Jewish students on campus including even having some anti-Jewish students and student organizations suspended or expelled.

But it gets worse.

On October 17th, a blast occurred near the Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza. Hamas immediately claimed that Israeli missiles had destroyed the hospital and killed over 500 women and children. The international media ignored traditional practice of checking the facts and it immediately became “breaking news” and headlines everywhere. 

No one questioned the validity of Hamas, a murderous terrorist organization with a lot to gain by portraying Israel as the attackers, as a source. 

No “serious” journalist or medium sought verification from credible intelligence sources before publishing their headlines and speculation.

This led to some very serious consequences.

Riots broke out throughout the world against Israel, Jews, and the West. The streets of many cities saw tens of thousands of protestors come out in support of Hamas and against Israel in general and even individual Jews in particular. 

Leaders like Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau all came out with strong anti-Israeli statements – preferring to cater to their left of center voters (who are always anti-Israeli) rather than wait until intelligence sources could ascertain what had really happened.

Anti-Zionist protestors claim that individual Palestinians should not be blamed for the activities of their terrorist groups and that Israeli attacks on the population of Gaza are war crimes.

These same protestors, however, believe that Jewish institutions, synagogues, schools and cultural centers, as well as individual Jews worldwide are fair game for their own terrorists in the Palestinian quest for statehood.

How can the anti-Semitism of millennia and today’s Islamophobia be addressed by the mainstream media and politics so that they don’t rear their ugly heads at a moment’s notice?

Leaders such as France’s Emmanuel Macron showed the way. France immediately announced that anyone protesting in favor of Hamas would be prosecuted and face a five-year prison term. The French government also vowed to expel any foreigner who supported this terrorist organization.

Is there a way to overcome media sensationalism and ensure that Jews and Muslims, Israelis and Palestinians, live and work on a level playing field?

Will we find a way to disseminate the truth and recognize it, or are we doomed to live in a world in which the truth is a commodity to be bartered away for personal or societal benefit? 

We can’t expect news to be censored or people to not be swayed by propaganda, but we need a return to news broadcast standards tailored for this century and the technology that seems to run it all.

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Keep reading: Bullying the Bullies

Edition: Estefanía Cardeña