(18.5.21): Yesterday I spoke with our colleague and friend Dr. Khamis Essi, a doctor who lives in the middle of Gaza. He said that what they are experiencing now is terribly frightening. When I listened to what he said, I thought that in addition to the horror experience of being in mortal danger, or being injured, the psychological terror comes when the planes come towards the Gaza Strip with lights, loud noises and shaking. Of course, this affects everyone, and the children in particular.
We experienced the second Palestinian uprising in 2000-2004, so I know how attacks affect children – both our own ten-year-old and the children of relatives and friends who were exposed to this.
Given all that is happening now, I find it disturbing that many Western media – including Arab media – as well as many Western governments are still preoccupied with current events without addressing the cause of the problem.
Homes are leveled
Surprisingly, the world appears to be more shocked by Israel's bombing and destruction of the office building in Gaza city where the Associated Press was located, than by the bombing and destruction of people's homes: Families are exterminated when multi-storey apartment blocks are razed to the ground, and civilians flee with nowhere to go – some seek protection in UN UNRWA schools, unprepared on receiving people.
What kind of power relations, interests and considerations underlie the Western way
leaders and media mention Palestine on?
Western media also omit important background information, and even use specific words to obscure reality, rather than mention the historical causes of the Palestine question. For example, we read that "23 died in Gaza, 8 Israelis killed by Hamas rockets"!
In addition, Western media portray Palestinians and Israelis as equal, even though Israel is the occupier and colonial power, while the Palestinians are occupied and colonized and controlled by an Israeli apartheid regime.
This fact is still hidden, although some media are beginning to raise their voices about Apartheid-Israel and Israel's colonial project, as an outstanding New York Times column recently explained that Palestinian refugees deserve it. . .
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