Propaganda and War
Media bias endangers peace in Gaza
Submitted by jonathan on Sat, 2009-01-03 17:31In the media coverage of the violence in Gaza, the voices of Palestinians are, as usual, absent.
The voices of the Israelis have proclaimed defense. Ehud Barak, Israel defense Minister was quoted as saying“There is time for calm and time to fight.” Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni stated on NBC news that Israel has the right to defend itself from Hamas and has the right as a sovereign country to defend itself. Outgoing U.S.resident George Bush told the Israeli government that the U.S. will stand by Israel. Our incoming President Barak Obama is refraining from taking a stand at this time, but when the commentator on this subject pressed his aid David Axelrod, he responded that Israel has the right to defend itself.
Am I surprised?
Israel takes battle with Hamas to YouTube
Submitted by jonathan on Wed, 2008-12-31 15:03Israel's bruising war on the Islamic militants who control Gaza has moved online, where sites like YouTube and Facebook are the new battlegrounds.
Israel posted video of its attacks on militants firing rockets over the past five days on a new YouTube channel to try to show the world the threat against it.
YouTube temporarily yanked the clips on Tuesday after viewers, apparently supporters of Hamas, flagged it as objectionable and asked that it be taken down. The video-sharing Web site restored the video a few hours later, labeling it inappropriate for minors.
Iran demands end to Gaza media blackout
Submitted by jonathan on Wed, 2008-12-31 15:00Iran has officially requested that Arab media outlets provide responsible coverage of the developments in the besieged Gaza Strip.
The head of Iran's national broadcaster Ezzatollah Zarghami spoke to the management of Qatar's Al-Jazeera, Lebanon's Al-Menar, Turkey's TRT and Iraq's Afaq TV in separate telephone conversations on Tuesday, requesting more informative coverage of the Israel-Palestinian crisis and developments in Gaza.
According to Zarghami, the Israeli policies and attacks on Gaza amount to a "holocaust".
Who is Amira Haas? Israeli journalist decries civilian casualties in Gaza
Submitted by jonathan on Tue, 2008-12-30 13:54A powerful column appears today in the Jerusalem daily Haaretz, written by one of its top correspondents, Amira Hass, reporting on Gaza, which opens: "This isn't the time to speak of ethics, but of precise intelligence. Whoever gave the instructions to send 100 of our planes, piloted by the best of our boys, to bomb and strafe enemy targets in Gaza is familiar with the many schools adjacent to those targets -- especially police stations. He also knew that at exactly 11:30 A.M.
Mideast papers on Gaza
Submitted by jonathan on Tue, 2008-12-30 00:35Commentators in the West Bank-based Palestinian press are united in dismay at the Israeli operation in Gaza, condemning it as an "ugly massacre".
Some also voice their fury at what they see as the inaction of the region's Arab states and the West's support for Israel, while one commentator fears the operation will only drive more of Gaza's young men into the arms of radical Islamists.
Attack on Gaza - US media provides little balance compared to Israeli media
Submitted by jonathan on Mon, 2008-12-29 13:37In the usual process, the U.S. government -- and media here -- are playing down questions about whether Israel overreacted in its massive air strikes on Gaza, while the foreign press, and even Haaretz in Israel, carries more balanced accounts. The early reports on Sunday already reveal the bombing of a TV station and mosque and preparations for an invasion.