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Coverage of Ceasefire Rejection Paints Israel as Aggressor, Whitewashes Hamas
The personal belongings of festival-goers are seen at the site of an attack on the Nova Festival by Hamas terrorists from Gaza, near Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, Oct. 12, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
More than 100 days into the war between Israel and Hamas, media outlets have apparently forgotten who started it.
The headlines this week on Israel’s rejection of a Hamas proposal for a ceasefire made the terror group look like an anti-war movement, while the Jewish state has been painted as the aggressor that wishes to prolong everyone’s suffering.
This impression was created by news outlets that have taken at face value Hamas’ suggestion of a ceasefire or its justification for the October 7 attack on Israel that sparked the war, while completely ignoring the group’s genocidal ideology and its leaders’ statements.
Wire Services Ignore Hamas’ Ideology
Reuters, AP, and AFP led with the Israeli refusal to end the war. Their reports appeared to be merely informative:
Reuters quoted senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
AP produced a video package showing a statement by Netanyahu, along with some background and details.
AFP published a short report, and also referred to a Hamas document distributed over the weekend “justifying its October 7 attack on Israel.”
But none of these agencies — that are responsible for distributing information to thousands of media outlets worldwide — mentioned that Hamas is ideologically committed to a permanent war against Israel, not a ceasefire.
These wire services should have included, at the very least, some background explaining that Hamas is sworn to the destruction of Israel and that its founding charter calls for holy war against the Jewish state.
Without this context, Hamas is presented as a legitimate political actor making legitimate claims.
Echoing Hamas Propaganda
The coverage of the Hamas document mentioned above is another example of how media sanitized the terror group while making Israel look like a warmonger.
The professionally produced document is an 18-page English pamphlet titled “Our Narrative … Operation Al-Aqsa Flood,” produced by the Hamas media office with an eye to a Western audience.
It includes virulent anti-Israeli propaganda and denials of the atrocities of October 7, when Hamas killed 1,200 people inside Israel, brutalized innocent civilians, and took around 240 hostages into Gaza.
The document justifies the monstrosity of this attack with claims like:
The battle of the Palestinian people against occupation and colonialism did not start on Oct. 7, but started 105 years ago, including 30 years of British colonialism and 75 years of Zionist occupation.
Most mainstream media outlets rightly ignored the document.
But, sadly, the AFP was not alone in wrapping it into their report on Israel’s rejection of a ceasefire.
Voice of America, in a piece titled “Netanyahu Rejects Hamas’ Call to End Gaza War,” echoed exactly what Hamas wanted the media to disseminate:
Hamas on Sunday defended its October 7 terror attack on Israel but admitted to “faults” and called for an end to “Israeli aggression” in Gaza.
In its first public report on the attack that began the war, the militant group said it was a “necessary step” against Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, and a way to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners.
Giving any kind of platform to Hamas’ “first public report” on its October 7 attack is not only bad journalism, but also an appalling normalization of evil.
Ignoring Hamas’ Arabic Rhetoric
Meanwhile, no media outlet reported that almost in parallel to the distribution of the deceiving talking points in English, Hamas has conveyed completely different messages in Arabic.
In early January, Hamas leader abroad Khaled Meshaal publicly said on a Kuwaiti podcast that “October 7 proved that liberating Palestine from the river to the sea is realistic and has already begun.”
In the same interview, Meshaal also categorically rejected a two-state solution and stated that any Palestinian state is going to be a replacement for Israel.
Yet media that criticized Israel for rejecting a ceasefire also bashed Israeli politicians for coming out against a two-state solution, without mentioning that Hamas publicly opposes it.
Aren’t Meshaal’s statements worth highlighting? Were they deliberately ignored?
Why were global headlines focused on Israel’s rejection of a ceasefire but not on Hamas’ reiteration of its unwavering commitment to war?
Why do journalists seem to lose their sense of hearing when terrorists speak Arabic?
These questions deserve answers because news outlets employ Arabic-speaking producers responsible for monitoring Middle East channels and social media.
But whether media omitted necessary background on Hamas’ genocidal ideology, echoed its propaganda, or ignored what its leaders have said, the result is the same: The continuation of the war has been blamed on the Israelis, not on the bloodthirsty murderers who are devoted to it.
The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.
The post Coverage of Ceasefire Rejection Paints Israel as Aggressor, Whitewashes Hamas first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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United Nations ‘Condemns’ Israel for Responding to Houthi Attacks, Decries ‘Escalation’ of Violence
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks to members of the Security Council during a meeting to address the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, at UN headquarters in New York City, New York, US, April 18, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
In its latest salvo against the Jewish state, the United Nations (UN) condemned Israel for executing retaliatory strikes against the Houthi terror group in Yemen.
“The Secretary-General condemns escalation between Yemen and Israel,” Stéphanie Tremblay, a UN spokesperson, said in Thursday statements on behalf of UN Secretary General António Guterres.
“The Secretary-General is gravely concerned about intensified escalation in Yemen and Israel. Israeli airstrikes today on Sana’a International Airport, the Red Sea ports and power stations in Yemen are especially alarming. The airstrikes reportedly resulted in numerous casualties including at least three killed and dozens more injured” Tremblay added.
On Thursday, Israel launched a barrage of missile attacks on Houthi bases in Yemen, provoking international outrage. Israel targeted a major airport in Sanaa and ports in Hodeida, Al-Salif and Ras Qantib, and power stations, locations the Jewish state claims were used by the terror group to sneak in both Iranian weapons and high-ranking Iranian officials.
On Friday, the Houthis claimed responsibility for an airstrike aimed at Ben Gurion airport, claiming that the attacks were carried out in retaliation against Israel’s targeting of Sana’a International airport.
The Israeli strikes followed days of Houthi missile and drone launches towards the Jewish state’s airspace. The Houthis have repeatedly attacked the Jewish state in the year following the Oct. 7 slaughters in Israel. Officials associated with terrorist organization claims that it will continue to attack Israel until the so-called “genocide” in Gaza ceases.
In reference to the strikes, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “the Houthis, too, will learn what Hamas and Hezbollah and Assad’s regime and others learned.”
Israeli officials have long accused the UN of having a bias against the Jewish state. Last year, the UN General Assembly condemned Israel twice as often as it did all other countries. Meanwhile, of all the country-specific resolutions passed by the UNHRC, nearly half have condemned Israel, a seemingly disproportionate focus on the lone democracy in the Middle East.
Weeks following the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel, the UN adopted a resolution calling for a “ceasefire” between Israel and the terrorist group. The UN failed to pass a measure condemning the Hamas atrocities of Oct. 7.
In June, the UN put Israel on its so-called “list of shame” of countries that kill children in armed conflict. Israel is considered to be the only democracy on the list.
The post United Nations ‘Condemns’ Israel for Responding to Houthi Attacks, Decries ‘Escalation’ of Violence first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Israeli Jets Attack Syria-Lebanon Border Crossings to Stop Arms Amuggling
Smoke billows after an Israeli Air Force air strike in southern Lebanon village, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, as seen from northern Israel, Oct. 3, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Jim Urquhar
Israeli jets struck seven crossing points along the Syria-Lebanon border on Friday, aiming to cut the flow of weapons to the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group in southern Lebanon.
Israeli troops also seized a truck mounted with a 40-barrel rocket launcher in southern Lebanon, part of a haul from various areas that included explosives, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and AK-47 automatic rifles, the military said.
The commander of the Israeli Air Force, Major General Tomer Bar, said Hezbollah was trying to smuggle weapons into Lebanon to test Israel’s ability to stop them.
“This must not be tolerated,” he said in a statement.
Under the terms of a Nov. 27 ceasefire agreement, Israel is supposed to withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon in phases while unauthorised Hezbollah military facilities south of the Litani River are to be dismantled.
However, each side has accused the other of violating the agreement, intended to end more than a year of fighting that began with Hezbollah missile strikes on Israel in the aftermath of the Hamas-led attack of Oct. 7, 2023, from Gaza.
On Thursday, the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon called for Israeli forces to withdraw, citing what it said were repeated violations of the deal.
Israel, which destroyed large parts of Hezbollah’s missile stocks during weeks of operations in southern Lebanon, has said it will not permit weapons to be smuggled to Hezbollah through Syria.
Israel has also conducted attacks against the Iranian-backed Houthi movement in Yemen in recent days and pledged to continue its campaign against Iranian-backed militant groups across the region.
The post Israeli Jets Attack Syria-Lebanon Border Crossings to Stop Arms Amuggling first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Mila Kunis Says Husband Ashton Kutcher And Their Children Helped Her Embrace Judaism: ‘I Fell in Love With My Religion’
Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis at the 9th Annual Breakthrough Prize Ceremony at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, California, on April 16, 2023. Photo: Cover Media via Reuters Connect
Actress Mila Kunis began embracing and feeling proud of her Jewish heritage when she met her husband, actor Ashton Kutcher, and even more so after having children, she told Israeli activist and author Noa Tishby this week.
“For me, it happened when I met my husband,” the “Goodrich” star, 41, said of her former “That ’70s Show” costar, 46, who she has been married to since 2015.
Although Kutcher is not Jewish, he was a follower of Kabbalah and was frequently photographed visiting the Kabbalah Centre in Los Angeles when he was married to actress Demi Moore from 2005-2013. Their wedding was also reportedly officiated by a Kabbalah Centre teacher. It remains unclear if he continues to follow Kabbalah. Nevertheless, Kunis joked that Kutcher is Jewish “by choice,” not by lineage, and that his interest in Judaism sparked Kunis to reconnect with her Jewish roots.
“I fell in love with my religion because he explained it to me,” said Kunis, who voices Meg Griffin on the Fox animated series “Family Guy.”
Kunis made the comments while joining Tishby to light candles on Thursday for the second night of Hanukkah. The two joined forces as part of Tishby’s “#BringOnTheLight campaign,” which is an eight-part video series on YouTube dedicated to spreading the message of Jewish resilience, pride and unity throughout the Jewish holiday.
Kunis and Kutcher together have two children — daughter Wyatt, 10, and son Dimitri, 8. The actress was born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, and moved to the United States at the age of eight. She told Tishby that she did not adhere to any Jewish traditions while growing up. “I always knew I was Jewish but I was told to never talk about,” she said. “I think because I was in a country that didn’t allow for religion.” The “Bad Moms” star added that her children also helped her tap into the religious side of Judaism.
“I was raised culturally Jewish. So for me, it’s a culture,” she said. “And as I had kids, and my kids very much identity with the religion aspect of it, I was like, ‘Oh, I guess we’re doing Shabbat and the candles. And there are so many beautiful traditions.”
“I never lit Hanukkah candles until I had kids,” she further noted.
When Kunis lit the menorah with Tishby for the second night of Hanukkah, they called Kutcher for some help. Both women were unsure if they needed to light the candles from left to right or from right to left, and asked Kutcher for guidance.
Kunis also talked about being raised with a lot of Jewish guilt and superstition. Listing another things that are culturally Jewish about her, she shared, “I have a fear of not having enough food and my fear of somebody being hungry. The worst thing my kids can say to me is, ‘I’m hungry.’”
“Food fixes everything. You’re tired, eat some food. You’re cranky, eat some food,” she joked. “A health person would say, ‘This is unhealthy and you’re doing something wrong.’ And I understand. I’m working on it. But it’s just something that is embedded in me.”
The post Mila Kunis Says Husband Ashton Kutcher And Their Children Helped Her Embrace Judaism: ‘I Fell in Love With My Religion’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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