Susie Kneedler writes:
NPR finally reported from Gaza yesterday morning: It was better
than recent silence; sympathy for Palestinians, but "report" still got
lost in Israeli defense of refusing to allow in cement for re-building
and the question of smuggling. One line from UNRWA's John Ging about there
being no up-side for Palestinians, because the rockets have essentially
stopped, but no relief offered Gazans by Israel because of fears of some future rebuilding of Hamas "bunkers" and
Israel's need for "security guarantees."
No rational summary of the facts
by Lourdes Garcia-Navarro: just dueling perspectives: Palestinian, UN, Israeli gov't.
No mention of Israel's war crimes, flouting of international law,
illegality of the siege in the first place, or the blockade being
reponsible for the rockets. As always, [murderous]
onslaught portrayed as response to rockets. No mention of huge number
of Palestinian deaths, wounds. No mention of the fact that what little
food Israel does allow in isn't nearly enough, but is starving the
people and stunting the kids.
We need to tell NPR that alternating
one-liners does not reality express. I've written many times and
finally stopped contributing, because they never even answer and we
should not be contributing to a force for totatlitarianism.
But I haven't had time to read transcript–better do it. Oh, what a cowardly headline!–no mention of Israel's handiwork: "Shortages Stymie Rebuilding Efforts in Gaza."
Now, to be fairer to NPR
than NPR is to Palestinians, NPR has finally reached the point that it
can no longer ignore this horror caused by the Israeli government's
demand for "security guarantees." But NPR refuses to make the
"report" fair, by asking "What about Palestinian 'security
guarantees?" That's the justice the American "press" refuses to give:
any recognition of "Palestine's right to exist" and right to resist
Israeli expansionism–any realization that Palestinians are fully human
deserving of human rights, too. NPR and the rest disallow the
essential moral question: what sort of security can any of us–people
or states, including Israel—
expect if we make ever-growing demands, refuse to agree on borders, and
we make others so totally insecure, so vulnerable to starvation, death,
murder, and theft?
P.S. The comments on the NPR story show how much work we have to do yet!
Weiss: That's why the headline is cowardly. Because NPR's audience is Progressive Except for Palestine.
