Of settler crimes and media silence

[Comadreja]

Of settler crimes and media silence: If Americans appreciated the scale of human-rights abuses committed by Israeli colonists in the occupied territories, they would condemn the journalists who keep them in the dark, a US peace activist says.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/17484BCE-343E-40AC-B163-968AAF10E44C.htm


Kim Lamberty, a member of the Christian Peacemakers Teams (CPT), has told Aljazeera.net on Tuesday that a cruel and criminal practice is largely going unreported: settlers are routinely attacking children on their way to school.

And Lamberty should know. Unable to walk since a vicious attack on 29 September by Jewish colonists, she says physical assaults on schoolchildren and the volunteers who escort them have all increased in the past two weeks.

"Human-rights abuses are being carried out by Israeli settlers on a massive scale, but the US media continues to choose not to present the whole Palestine/Israel story - just the Tel Aviv version," she says. Dozens of volunteers from Amnesty International, CPT, Operation Dove, as well as numerous parents, and of course Palestinian schoolchildren, have all been assaulted this week alone.

"We are not talking verbal abuse, taunts and pushes - we are talking punctured lungs, broken arms, fractured ribs and whipping with chains. But Israeli police are not investigating."


When contacted by Aljazeera.net, no Israeli Defence Force spokesperson was prepared to comment on whether the latest attack on children and volunteers (last Sunday) - or the assault on Lamberty - was being investigated. (cont.)

[TheKingfish]

1. Settlers?

Even the term is ridiculous. Like calling the Janjaweed Settlers, or the Germans who went into Poland for 'living space' during WWII.

[Jim Sagle]

2. Al Jazeerah ain't nuthin' but shit.

[Violet_Crumble]

3. Because it's Arabic media?

There's someone here who selectively shrieks: 'Shoot the message, not the messenger!!!!' when conservative sources are ridiculed. I understand the criticism of conservative sources. What I don't understand is why you have no problem with right-wing sources, but have a problem with an independent source that's garnered attacks from both Israel and the PA in the past...

Violet...

[Forkboy]

4. Anyone who criticizes Israel (even if correct) = Filth

[Jim Sagle]

5. When I start linking to Little Green Footballs, you may have a point.

But not until then.

[Djinn]

6. when you start

complaining equally loudly about Frontpagemag.com, jewishworldreview, various Daniel Pipes biletanks etc etc etc then YOU'LL have a point.

But not until then.

I've never seen Al Jazeera describe Judaism as an inherently violent ideology, have never heard them campaigning for Bush, have never seen them call anyone vermin...I know who'd I look for first for news.

[Jim Sagle]

7. You make your complaints and I'll make mine. Period.

[Djinn]

8. except I'm not one sided about it

and whenever I see something sourced from people who think Jews are inherently violent I will complain about that too. Period.

[Jim Sagle]

9. I've never stated or implied that Arabs or Muslims are any kind of violent

Borg, either.

[Djinn]

10. no you didn't

but you don't seem to have a problem with those that do - Al Jazeera has atleast never said an entire religious group are violent - THOSE are the sources I have a problem with.

JPost and Al J are biased - certainly, but they are respectable media outlets (whether those of us on each "side" here agree with that or not) WorldNetDaily & JewishWorldReview et al are biased AND bigoted AND the producers fo some of the worst journalism out there.

Surely you'd agree that there is a world of difference between Al Jazeera (that has a pro Pal view and looks from a Muslim/Arab perspective) and say the National Front who are simply outright anti-semitic (though they tend to hate Arabs too)

That's the difference between JPost and certain other crap routinely posted here.

[Violet_Crumble]

12. But I didn't say anything about *you* posting from right-wing sources...

As far as I know, I've never seen you do that, not that posting a few is a crime, as I've done it myself. It's more that you seem to be quick off the mark to proclaim that media sources like Al-Jazeera are shit, but stay silent when it comes to some extremely right-wing and racist media sources that have been posted here. And I'm not in any way implicitly implying that yr of a conservative bent, because unlike several past and present folk, there's no doubting yr anything but a conservative. Which is why I'm quite fond of you and yr quirky posts, and probably do set a higher standard for you and know that yr more than capable of multi-skilling when it comes to things like this...

Violet...

[Matilda]

11. The silence isn't restricted to the U.S.

There's very little in Oz media about violence towards Palestinians,
and I wonder if it also applies to the rest of the western media.

The question is whether the bias is conscious or unconscious. If
the former, the motives of media bosses have to be brought under
scrutiny; if the latter, it's time that journalists take an honest
look at their own prejudices. I'm inclined to suspect the former,
but perhaps it's just my tinfoil hat.