Israel out of control in Khan Younis; Biden official trying to broker an “ambitious” deal; reminiscent of Al Ahli hospital debacle, Israel fumbles after allegedly striking UN building, Netanyahu talks smack against Qatar, blames hostages’ families for leaking; Israeli land grab along Gaza border; update on American killed in West Bank, Tawfiq Abdel Jabbar; and more
Israel bombs 30K sheltering Gazans; Israel may have poisoned their own; Khan Younis sees intense and unrelenting bombing; Palestinian teen killed in West Bank; diplomats, legislators line up to support Palestine rights and sovereignty; US and UK attack sites in Yemen; Israel presents possible 2-month truce plan
A special bond between Palestine and South Africa; OCHA reports on Israel’s antagonism over humanitarian aid; deadly airstrike in Deir Al Balah; white-flag-waving grandmother killed; Israel’s bombing and climate change; Blinken claims don’t pass the smell test; ADL number-crunching; Palestinian prisoner annual report
In the first six weeks of the Israel-Gaza conflict, major U.S. newspapers disproportionately emphasized Israeli deaths; used emotive language to describe the killings of Israelis, but not Palestinians; and offered lopsided coverage of antisemitic acts in the U.S., while largely ignoring anti-Muslim racism in the wake of October 7.
The stakes for this routine devaluing of Palestinian lives couldn’t be higher: As the death toll in Gaza mounts, entire cities are leveled and rendered uninhabitable for years, and whole family lines are wiped out, the U.S. government has enormous influence as Israel’s primary patron and weapons supplier. The media’s presentation of the conflict means there are fewer political downsides to lockstep support for Israel.
Israel reportedly targeting random civilians, stealing 1,100 Gazan corpses from cemeteries; US senators critical of border policy for aid; 39 UPenn profs take propaganda trip to Israel; MSF evacuates hospital; Israeli settlers out of control; Chilean lawyers support Palestine; African countries deny discussing accepting displaced Gazans
2023 will be remembered for its last 3 months, when tens of thousands of Gazans were massacred with the blessing of the US government, when the world watched a “live-streamed genocide.” The first 9 months of 2023 were also far from peaceful. Here is a run-down of the coverage that If Americans Knew provided.
Gaza’s orphans; famine in the offing; the school and housing crises; NYT’s “investigation” into rape allegations falls short; free speech takes a hit in Berlin; Biden claims 2023 “accomplishments” include supporting Israel; longtime investigative journalist James Bamford exposes secretive operation
AIPAC, the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee, and its affiliates are reportedly spending $100 million in the next congressional election cycle. The objective: to help oust progressives who have voiced support for Palestinians. The Israel lobby is signaling to many that it cares more about supporting Israel’s right-wing government than democracy in the US.
Evacuation ordered in areas of central Gaza; evidence of execution of civilians – some of them pregnant – holding white flags; more evidence of Israel’s assault on Catholic church; another journalist dead; British activists for Palestine paying a price
What we are seeing play out in Gaza daily is not “just another terrible war” but something altogether different. Its scale is comparable to the carpet-bombing of German cities in World War II. A staggering 70 percent of Palestinians killed so far have been women and children – setting Gaza apart from some of this century’s worst wars.