7 Facts the Media Ignores
Stand for Israel | August 21, 2019
Perhaps the biggest impediment to peace in the Middle East is the lack of knowledge and understanding of the situation by most of the rest of the world. And much of that lack can be blamed on how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is portrayed in the media. A writer for the Algemeiner attempts to bridge the world’s knowledge gap by teaching us six things about Israelis, and one about Palestinians:
Here are six basic facts about Israelis, and one about Palestinians, that are hardly mentioned in the media or at universities. This refusal to report on the truth causes a major gap in Western understanding of the conflict.
Israelis desperately want peace and to be accepted as a normal nation in the Middle East. This is an understatement. Israelis have made serious sacrifices for peace with Egypt and the Palestinians. But their yearning for peace is not at the expense of the security of Israelis. Security of the citizens is the overarching desire of every conceivable Israeli government, and is more important than any peace plan that does not fully guarantee security.
Here are six basic facts about Israelis, and one about Palestinians, that are hardly mentioned in the media or at universities. This refusal to report on the truth causes a major gap in Western understanding of the conflict.
Israelis desperately want peace and to be accepted as a normal nation in the Middle East. This is an understatement. Israelis have made serious sacrifices for peace with Egypt and the Palestinians. But their yearning for peace is not at the expense of the security of Israelis. Security of the citizens is the overarching desire of every conceivable Israeli government, and is more important than any peace plan that does not fully guarantee security.
No one in Israel wants to rule over Palestinians. As much as is possible, Israel has tried to avoid that — by withdrawing from Gaza and allowing Palestinian autonomy in Area A, and to some extent Area B. But the alternative of fully withdrawing from the territories is generally considered to be worse — and Gaza shows the worst case scenario of unilateral withdrawal.
Almost no one in Israel wants to go back to the 1967 lines. It is obvious that the human cost of doing so is unacceptable. Pretty much everyone agrees that some territories will always remain under Israeli rule, perhaps with land swaps. Framing the question as whether Israelis are “against the occupation” or “for the occupation” is deceptive, since the vast majority are against fully controlling 100 percent of the territories, and a vast majority are also against dismantling the homes of half a million people. Spinning either position as “pro” or “anti” occupation is simply not to report the truth.
Israelis deserve human rights as much as Palestinians do. Israel wants to provide as many human rights for Palestinians as possible without compromising on the security of Israeli citizens — who also deserve human rights. The line between the two is tied. When threats are reduced, restrictions are (or should be) reduced as well. All of Israel’s security measures that upset people (like the separation barrier) have been put in place to save lives. “Human rights” advocates who ignore Israeli lives are not interested in human rights…