The ‘legally killed children’ of Palestine: Who is Israel at war with?
The ‘Legally Killed Children’ of Palestine: Unpacking Israel’s War on Gaza and the Global Media Narrative
The ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza has once again erupted into a full-scale military operation, raising complex questions about human rights, the role of international media, and the underlying political dynamics driving the violence. This conflict, particularly Israel’s airstrikes, ground troops, and siege of Gaza, has sparked heated debates around the world. At the heart of this controversy is the question: Who is Israel truly at war with, and how does the global media narrative shape our understanding of the situation?
Israel’s War on Gaza: A Humanitarian Crisis
The Israeli military’s operations in Gaza are described by Israel as a defensive response to rocket attacks by Hamas, a Palestinian militant organization. However, when viewed from a neutral perspective, the scale of Israel’s military operations raises alarming questions about the extent of civilian casualties, the targeting of non-combatants, and the humanitarian impact of this war. Reports indicate that Israeli airstrikes have targeted civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, and residential areas, leading to the deaths of thousands of Palestinian civilians, many of whom are children. The latest escalation in 2024 has further fueled the debate about whether Israel’s actions can be considered as crimes against humanity.
The Controversy Over Media Narratives
One of the central issues in the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict is the role that media plays in shaping public perception of the war. Critics argue that Western media outlets, especially those in the United States, have consistently framed the conflict in ways that largely support the Israeli narrative. For example, reports in outlets such as The New York Times and The Washington Post have focused on Hamas’s attacks on Israeli civilians while downplaying the impact of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza’s population. This has led to accusations of bias, with some arguing that the media portrays the conflict as a simple case of good versus evil, without adequately addressing the disproportionate harm caused to Palestinian civilians.
The Israeli Narrative: Victims or Aggressors?
The narrative often portrayed by Israel and its allies positions Israel as a victim of Hamas aggression, framing their military actions as a necessary response to terrorism. This narrative has been echoed in global media outlets, creating a perception that Israel is defending itself against an existential threat. However, critics argue that this framing overlooks the broader historical context of the Israel-Palestine conflict and the power imbalance between the two sides.
Suchitra, a commentator on international relations, critiques the way Western media glorifies Israel’s military actions while portraying the retaliatory actions of Hamas as horrifying. She argues that this bias in the media narrative has far-reaching consequences, encouraging countries to continue supplying Israel with weapons that escalate the violence. “It is insane that they portray the counterattacks on Israel as horrifying while glorifying Israel’s indiscriminate attacks on thousands of innocent civilians,” Suchitra said. She further asserts that by presenting the conflict through this lens, the media inadvertently encourages the continuation of violence, positioning their governments as partners in the war against Gaza’s population.
The Ethical Implications of Media Coverage
A particularly troubling aspect of this media narrative is the tendency to dehumanize Palestinians. By presenting the conflict in terms of religious or ethnic animosities, media outlets risk portraying the entire Palestinian population as either terrorist sympathizers or helpless victims, reducing the complexity of their lives and struggles to simplistic tropes. Critics argue that this dehumanization facilitates a global indifference to the deaths of innocent Palestinians, enabling the continuation of violent military operations with impunity.
Suchitra also points to a troubling pattern in Western media that frames Arab Muslim men as inherently violent and sexually deviant. She highlights how the portrayal of alleged mass rape in Gaza has been used by prominent figures like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to justify Israel’s military actions, despite the fact that these reports have been debunked multiple times. “The New York Times reporting on the mass rape in Gaza has been debunked several times, but both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris continue to use it as justification,” she explained. This framing, she argues, is eerily reminiscent of the justifications used during the 2011 invasion of Libya, where former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton claimed that Libyan soldiers were using “Viagra” to commit mass sexual violence. According to Suchitra, this rhetoric serves to demonize Arab populations, reinforcing stereotypes and justifying military interventions in the name of “humanitarian” actions.
The Influence of Powerful Lobby Groups
Another critical aspect of the media coverage surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict is the alleged influence of powerful lobby groups, particularly those with strong ties to Israel and the Jewish community in the United States. Trigunayat, an international relations expert, suggests that U.S. media is heavily influenced by a Jewish lobby that pushes for a narrative supportive of Israeli interests. “Since the U.S. media is mostly controlled by a Jewish lobby, it is quite possible that they only give the Israeli narrative,” Trigunayat noted. While such claims of media control have been met with skepticism, there is little doubt that certain media outlets in the U.S. have consistently presented a biased portrayal of the conflict, downplaying the suffering of Palestinians and emphasizing Israel’s security concerns.
The argument that media outlets like The New York Times deliberately avoid using terms such as “genocide” and “ethnic cleansing” further fuels the perception that the mainstream media is failing to address the full scope of the crisis. In April 2024, The Intercept reported that The New York Times had instructed its journalists to avoid these terms when covering Israel’s war on Gaza, as well as refraining from describing Palestinian territories as “occupied.” This editorial decision has been widely criticized, with many arguing that such language is essential to accurately describe the situation in Gaza and the West Bank, where Palestinians continue to live under Israeli military control.
The Changing Narrative and Global Support for Palestine
Despite the dominance of the Israeli narrative in Western media, new voices are beginning to challenge the status quo. Across Europe and other parts of the world, there has been growing support for the Palestinian cause. Numerous countries have recognized the State of Palestine, and protests against Israel’s actions have been organized in cities across the globe. In the United States, debates in Congress and widespread protests have added to the growing calls for an end to U.S. support for Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
Trigunayat points to these changing dynamics as a sign that the narrative around Israel and Palestine is shifting. “We have seen that there have been protests and a lot of debates even in the House of Congress and Parliaments across the world, including the West, in favor of the Palestinian cause,” he said. This marks a departure from the long-standing bipartisan support for Israel, with an increasing number of voices in the U.S. calling for a reassessment of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.
The Need for Accountability
As the world watches the ongoing violence in Gaza, the need for accountability has never been more urgent. While Israel has the right to defend itself from terrorism, the indiscriminate targeting of civilians raises serious questions about the proportionality and legality of its military actions. International law, including the Geneva Conventions, prohibits the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure, yet Israel’s actions have often been described as violations of these principles.
Calls for an independent investigation into potential war crimes committed by both Israeli and Palestinian forces have grown louder, but the geopolitical realities of the conflict make accountability difficult to achieve. The U.S. and other Western powers have consistently shielded Israel from international scrutiny, using their veto power in the United Nations Security Council to block resolutions that could hold Israel accountable for its actions in Gaza.
Conclusion: A Call for Balanced Reporting and Global Solidarity
As the conflict between Israel and Gaza continues to unfold, the need for more balanced and ethical reporting has never been more pressing. The media plays a crucial role in shaping public perception, and biased or dehumanizing narratives only serve to escalate the violence. Journalists, both in the West and around the world, have a responsibility to report the facts accurately, without fear or favor.
At the same time, it is essential for the global community to come together to push for an end to the violence and a long-lasting solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. This means recognizing the legitimate rights and aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians and working toward a just and peaceful resolution that ensures the dignity and security of all people in the region.
In the face of immense human suffering, it is clear that the international community must do more to address the root causes of the conflict and hold those responsible for violations of international law accountable. Only then can we hope to break the cycle of violence and move toward a future where peace and justice prevail for both Palestinians and Israelis.
