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Media Outlet Whitewashes PA-Hamas Agreement, Ignores Possible True Path to Peace in the Middle East
Mahmoud al-Aloul, Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of Palestinian organization and political party Fatah, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and Mussa Abu Marzuk, senior member of the Palestinian terror movement Hamas, attend an event at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on July 23, 2024. Photo: Pedro Pardo/Pool via REUTERS
Two events took place recently that relate to post-war Gaza governance.
One was that China said it had brokered a deal between Hamas and Fatah, in what was described as a declaration to form an interim “national reconciliation government” for the West Bank and Gaza after the war.
The announcement of the declaration came following several days of talks in Beijing, and was presented to the media by Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, Fatah representative Mahmoud al-Aloul, and Hamas representative Mussa Abu Marzuk.
Although described as a “unity” agreement, there have been numerous failed attempts at reconciliation between the rival factions since Hamas won the 2006 Palestinian elections. After those elections — the last time Palestinians held elections — the factions fought a bloody internecine war, resulting in Hamas expelling Fatah from Gaza.
The other event was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s well-publicized trip to Washington, which included a speech to Congress in which he vowed to fight for a total victory over Hamas, and reminded lawmakers of their shared interest in defeating Hamas and other Iranian-backed terrorist groups.
Behind the scenes and in the lead-up to Netanyahu’s US visit, another set of talks were taking place far away from China and well away from the presence of either Hamas or Fatah.
Last week, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan hosted a trilateral meeting in Abu Dhabi attended by Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, who is one of Netanyahu’s closest advisers, and Brett McGurk, the director of Middle East policy for US President Joe Biden’s National Security Council.
The topic of discussion was reportedly a “reformed” Palestinian Authority governing Gaza after the war, as well as inviting a contingent of international forces that would enter Gaza to help ease the humanitarian situation, establish law and order, and facilitate the transition to proper governance.
While Netanyahu has previously rejected the possibility of a future Gaza under the rule of the Palestinian Authority, the prospect of a reformed PA that is led by a “new prime minister who is empowered and independent” as well as the United States taking a key role in any “day-after” initiative could be an incentive.
In short, the Abu Dhabi talks could realistically pave the way for a post-war Gaza solution that excludes both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority in its current form.
Naive CNN Hints at Major Step Forward
Most media outlets recognized the China meeting for what it was — a carefully curated spectacle of togetherness that will, in all likelihood, amount to nothing.
The New York Times described an actual agreement between Fatah and Hamas to form a unified government as a “high bar to clear for two factions that have long been vehemently, sometimes violently, opposed.”
It also quoted a Palestinian analyst’s view that “what happened in China isn’t significant” and a Gazan civilian branding the agreement “statements [that] aren’t worth the ink needed to write them.”
The BBC quoted an expert on Chinese affairs with the Middle East, who branded China “not a serious actor on this issue,” while mentioning that all other reconciliation attempts had failed.
Reuters published the view of Ashraf Abouelhoul, a specialist on Palestinian affairs and managing editor of the Egyptian state-owned paper Al-Ahram, who noted similar declarations had failed and dismissed any potential suggestion the meeting was a “celebratory event,” saying it is “impossible to resolve the problems between Palestinian factions in just three days.”
CNN, however, viewed the China meeting differently, dedicating 14 paragraphs to what it described as a “common front against occupation,” suggesting it would lead to a Fatah-Hamas partnership.
It is only after Barghouti’s extensive comments, and halfway through the article, that CNN includes the opinion of an analyst who echoes the prevailing sentiment: it will amount to nothing.
While CNN was overemphasizing the significance of the China talks, nearly every other media outlet missed the importance of quieter negotiations between Israel, the US and the UAE that might realistically lead to peace and security for Palestinians.
The media needs to move past focusing on Hamas and Fatah when discussing a post-war Gaza: it’s not going to happen.
HonestReporting is a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.
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Bella Hadid Apologizes for Adidas Campaign’s ‘Lack of Sensitivity’ in Referencing Munich Massacre
Bella Hadid in a new Adidas campaign for the brand’s remake of its SL 72 sneaker. Photo: Adidas
Supermodel Bella Hadid broke her silence on Monday about being featured in a controversial Adidas campaign that referenced the 1972 massacre at the Munich Olympics, where 11 Israelis were murdered by Palestinian terrorists.
“For those of you that do not know my heart, I want to make sure you’re hearing directly from me about my recent campaign with Adidas,” she began by saying in a lengthy statement posted on her Instagram Story. The founder of the Orebella perfume, who is also an avid critic of the state of Israel, added that she “would never knowingly engage with any art or work that is linked to a horrific tragedy of any kind.”
“In advance of the campaign’s release, I had no knowledge of the historical connection to the atrocious events in 1972,” she explained. “I am shocked, I am upset, and I am disappointed in the lack of sensitivity that went into this campaign. Had I been made aware, from the bottom of my heart, I would never have participated. My team should have known, Adidas should have known, and I should have done more research so that I too would have known and understood, and spoken up.”
Earlier this month, Adidas released a new campaign, featuring Hadid, for its iconic SL 72 sneaker. The sneaker was originally released in 1972 and used that year by athletes at the Munich Olympic Games, where the Palestinian terrorist group Black September murdered 11 members of Israel’s Olympic team after taking them hostage.
Hadid has participated in anti-Israel rallies where she chanted “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” which calls for the destruction of the Jewish state and for it to be replaced with a Palestinian state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. She has previously accused Israel of “colonization, ethnic cleansing, military occupation, and apartheid over the Palestinian people.” She has advocated for a “Free Palestine,” and since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, she has repeatedly expressed solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
After Adidas was criticized for choosing the anti-Israel model as a face of the new campaign, the German sportswear company pulled her from the project. Adidas also issued two apologies regarding the matter — one directed at Hadid herself — and said it would “revise” its campaign. Hadid had not commented on the ordeal until Monday. She said in the statement on her Instagram Story that she “always will speak up for what I believe to be wrong.”
“While everyone’s intentions were to make something positive, and bring people together through art, the collective lack of understanding from all parties undermined the process,” she said of the Adidas campaign. “I do not believe in hate in any form, including antisemitism. That will never waiver, and I stand by that statement to the fullest extent.”
“Connecting the liberation of the Palestinian people to an attack so tragic is something that hurts my heart. Palestine is not synonymous with terrorism, and this campaign unintentionally highlighted an event that does not present who we are,” she continued. The model concluded by saying that she is a “proud Palestinian woman” who “will forever stand by my people of Palestine while continuing to advocate for a world free of antisemitism.”
“Antisemitism has no place in the liberation of the Palestinian people,” she said. “I will always stand for peace over violence, any day. Hate has no place here, and I will forever advocate for not only my people, but every person worldwide.”
Hadid’s sister is fellow model Gigi Hadid, her mother is Dutch former supermodel Yolanda Hadid and her father is Nazareth-born Jordanian real estate developer Mohamed Hadid, who has regularly made anti-Israel comments on social media.
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Israeli Men’s Swim Team Makes History at Paris Olympics, Breaks National Record
Paris 2024 Olympics – Swimming – Men’s 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay – Heats – Paris La Defense Arena, Nanterre, France – July 30, 2024. General view during heat 1. Photo: Reuters/Ueslei Marcelino
Israel’s men’s swimming team set a new Israeli record in the 4×200m freestyle relay at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Tuesday morning with a time of 7:08.43 and advanced to the finals taking place on Tuesday night.
Their victory is the first time Israel has made it to an Olympic final in the 4×200m freestyle relay and is also Israel’s first swimming final of the Paris Olympics. The Olympic team is comprised of Bar Soloveychik, Eitan Ben Shitrit, Gal Cohen Groumi, and Denis Loktev.
Israel tied with Japan in fifth place in the relay on Tuesday morning. Both countries are advancing to the final, and they will compete against South Korea, Germany, France, Great Britain, the US, Australia, and China.
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Rashida Tlaib Accuses Israel of ‘Genocide,’ Calls for Muslim Americans to Build ‘Political Power’ in Call With Linda Sarsour
US Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), left, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) listen during a congressional hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, July 18, 2019. Photo: REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
US Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) participated in a video call with controversial activist Linda Sarsour on Sunday in which the congresswoman accused Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza and called on Muslim Americans to build a “political machine” to combat the Jewish state from within the United States.
Over the course of the roughly nine-minute conversation flagged on social media, Tlaib repeatedly denigrated Israel and pro-Israel organizations and accused the US Congress of having no sympathy for the plight of Palestinians.
Last night, I sat in on CAIR Action’s National Emergency Call to Help Build Our Collective Power. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and Linda Sarsour were both there, and much of the conversation focused on funding and building a CAIR-sponsored SuperPAC.
00:00 – Sarsour introduces her… pic.twitter.com/lCMNUOSFdC
— Stu (@thestustustudio) July 29, 2024
The congresswoman also criticized Congress for inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to deliver an address, questioning why Palestinians were not invited before lawmakers to share their testimonies.
Sarsour, the former co-chair of the Women’s March and a prominent anti-Israel political activist, heaped praise on Tlaib for providing “the type of dignity in Congress that we’ve never seen before.” She further applauded Tlaib for calling Netanyahu a “war criminal” and called on her fellow Muslim Americans to support the anti-Israel congresswoman.
“We have to outwork the hate, and it is hate,” Tlaib said. “There’s no love for our community when we say ‘end the genocide’ or a welcome mat in Congress to listen to our pain.”
The congresswoman added that Muslims of all backgrounds share an “indescribable” connection to a Palestinian state. She encouraged Muslim Americans to try and influence US domestic policy on Israel by “organizing, raising the money, [and] building the political power.” She added that “those that are promoting genocide have muliple PACs, multiple movements.”
Though Tlaib did not specify which groups she was referring to, many progressives have expressed frustration with Zionist political organizations such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). AIPAC, the most prominent pro-Israel lobbying organization in the US, has spent millions of dollars during the current election cycle to defeat anti-Israel lawmakers. The group notched its most notable victory in June when it spent a staggering $14.5 million to unseat prominent anti-Israel lawmaker Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY).
“What we’re doing here is outworking the hate,” Tlaib said, claiming that other lawmakers refuse to assert that “Palestinians deserve to live.”
“It’s never going to be perfect. I know, I’m impatient, too. I want this to end. I want us to be fully seen and heard by our government,” Tlaib said.
Comparing the pro-Palestinian movement to the American Civil Rights Movement, she argued that activists will only achieve success when they “organize” and “push back” against the US government.
The congresswoman then blasted the US House of Representatives for passing an amendment in June which would prohibit the US State Department from using funds from the international affairs budget to cite casualty figures from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health. A bipartisan group of lawmakers voted 269-144 to pass the measure. The health ministry, which is run by the Hamas terrorist group, has been criticized for fabricating and inflating casualty numbers.
In response, Tlaib accused the House of harboring “anti-Palestinian racism.”
“They don’t want us to be seen or heard when we’re alive. And they don’t want to even see us when we’re dead. So we have to do more in building political power,” Tlaib said.
Lambasting America as “the number one investor of genocide” in the world, Tlaib urged Muslim Americans to stand up for Palestinian interests by donating to and supporting anti-Israel politicians.
Tlaib has issued withering criticism of Israel in the months following Hamas’ Oct. 7 slaughter of roughly 1,200 people throughout the Jewish state’s southern region. Tlaib has repeatedly accused Israel of attempting a “genocide” on Palestinians and of inflicting “famine” on families in Gaza. She refused to condemn protesters who chanted “death to America” during an April demonstration in her district. The congresswoman was also a featured speaker at a terrorist-connected, anti-Israel conference in May.
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