Recently the world's
media focused once again on Israel and the Palestinians, and once
again the debate over who's right and who's wrong got mainstream
attention. Unfortunately much of the mainstream media was biased, as
is the norm, essentially providing a pro-Israeli narrative when ever
possible. Several years ago, before I took up an interest in this
conflict and when my knowledge was much more limited, the only
information I received on this issue was through such media outlets
as the BBC and other daily tabloid newspapers. Through their
distorted reporting I formed the opinion that the Israelis were the
victims in all this, the target of unprovoked Arab aggression, with
the Palestinians leading the terrorist fight to expel all Jews from
the region. I couldn't really be blamed for my naive views at that
time, how was I to know the reality of this decades old conflict
without deviating from the mainstream media and digging a little
deeper.
Of course there is
biased reporting on the behalf of the Palestinian cause and both
sides have committed terrible acts, but there are clear facts that
show that one side is dominated and oppressed by the other. UN
reports and repeated resolutions condemning Israeli violations of
international law are one clear indicator of what's really happening
on the ground. Human rights groups are another great source of
information as they are less concerned with the political situation
and focus solely on the human suffering whether Israeli or
Palestinian. When looking to sources other than the mainstream media
and when you take the standard British political stance with a pinch
of salt, you soon become horrified and angry at not only the
suffering that the Palestinians endure, but also at the way many
Western governments and media conglomerates show bias towards, and
therefore support for, Israeli abuses of international law. The
reason why they show such unwavering support is also another
interesting and disturbing topic, one which I won't go into now.
On a positive note
looking forward, the British public seem to be following their
European counterparts in starting to understand the reality of life
for the Palestinian population under Israeli occupation and
oppression. The reasons for this I can not easily explain, but I
expect it has something to so with the way individual activists and
organisations use ever-evolving social media tools such as Twitter
and Facebook, as well as the increasing amount of alternative news
and information websites, allowing the general public to access
broader, diverse and more up-to-date news. Although the spread of
information in this manner is not always accurate and verifiable, it
allows alternative ideas to be spread, often igniting the interest of
the receiver which then prompts them to delve further into the
subject using more credible sources. People are no longer restricted
to just a few news media outlets who provide propaganda for the
political and business elite, they are now often exposed to a wide
range of views that contradict the status quo which I think will only
help to spread social equality throughout Israel, and indeed the
world.