1. The Washington Post, Nov. 29, 2023
Gaza war complicates U.S. efforts to normalize Arab relations with Israel by Susannah George
The author writes, “The war in Gaza is testing newly strengthened ties between Arab countries of the Persian Gulf and Israel, raising questions about an American-backed vision for regional order that emphasizes economic ties over political differences and historical rifts.” In focusing on how Israel’s genocide of Palestinians “complicates” the United States’ “efforts to normalize Arab relations with Israel” is incredibly ignorant and reductive. Over 15,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel as of writing; downplaying the catastrophic loss of human life while simultaneously focusing on the United States’ involvement in normalizing relations between Arab countries and Israel completely overshadows the culpability of the United States in supporting the genocide of Palestinians through substantial military aid and unwavering support of Israel. The article’s unjust focus is reinforced when the author writes, “While the conflict is unlikely to lead to the severing of diplomatic relations, it has scrambled the calculations of emergent gulf powers that see in Israel a potential security partner and a counterweight to regional rival Iran.”
The article further minimizes Israel’s war crimes and genocide by merely quantifying the devastating loss of life as a "War that has killed more than 13,300 Palestinians and left much of the Gaza Strip in ruins." Framing the genocide in this way absolves Israel of responsibility for the deaths of more than “13,300 Palestinians.” Additionally, the author's oversight in examining the power dynamics, historical context, and pivotal role played by the United States in perpetuating the genocide is concerning, and further skews the narrative of the ongoing genocide of Palestinians as told by mainstream Western media.
2. The Washington Post, Nov. 25, 2023
Pause brings new perils as Gazans seek family and safety by Miriam Berger and Hazem Balousha
The authors of this article fail to provide historical context when writing about the ongoing genocide of Palestinians. The authors write, “After nearly 50 days of war following a Hamas rampage through southern Israel that left some 1,200 Israelis dead, the pause, part of a deal to exchange captives, has given both sides rare reason to celebrate.” This portrayal of events occurring on Oct. 7 neglects the 75-year-long history of ethnic cleansing and the ongoing suffering of Palestinians due to actions by the state of Israel. Notably, the article fails to mention the hundreds of Palestinians who lost their lives to Israeli violence this year alone before Oct. 7. Additionally, the authors’ framing appears to imply that Palestinians are the causative perpetrators of violence, and thus responsible for their suffering.
3. The New York Times, Nov. 11, 2023
Surrounded by Israeli troops, Palestinians evacuate a cluster of hospitals in northern Gaza by Aaron Boxerman
This article undermines the legitimacy of the Palestinian experience during this genocide throughout its text. This is evident when the author discusses their conversation with the leader of the Gaza Health Ministry, Yousef Abu al-Rish. The statement, “Yousef Abu al-Rish, the head of the Health Ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza” leaves room for the audience to question the legitimacy of Abu al-Rish, as the author emphasizes that this ministry operates in “Hamas-controlled Gaza”. This statement feeds into the hysteria that mainstream Western media has created surrounding information leaving Gaza, as Hamas has been associated with terrorism.
Moreover, the article consistently undermines the severity of Israel’s war crimes against Palestinians. For example, the author writes, “Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, an Israeli military spokesman, said at a news briefing on Saturday that for almost a month Israeli forces had been calling for hospitals to be evacuated in northern Gaza to ensure civilians’ safety,” without any discussion of how bombing hospitals is a war crime. Additionally, there has been no evidence that Israel is ensuring the safety of Palestinians. Continuous carpet bombings of neighborhoods, refugee camps, UNRWA schools, hospitals, bakeries, and ambulances do not ensure the “safety” of civilians. The author again downplays Israel’s genocide as they write, “The Israeli military distributed printed pamphlets telling people to flee the hospital and called the hospital director to urge an evacuation.” Distributing pamphlets does not alleviate the severity of Israel’s genocide. Urging Palestinians to relocate to “safe areas,” which are then bombed, does not justify genocide. Moreover, the failure to mention how Israel’s sniper targeting, bombing, and dropping white phosphorus on Palestinians taking the “safe corridor for people to leave” is misleading and skews the narrative to minimize Israel’s ongoing genocide of Palestinians.
