Media Analysis

‘Cancel culture’ prevents the truth about Israel/Palestine from being discussed — including the rising risk of a war with Iran

There is no issue in American life about which the mainstream media ignores or distorts the truth more than Israel/Palestine, and censors or “cancels” the people who could tell it.

So far, the growing debate over “cancel culture” has understandably focused on individual cases. Certainly, Israel/Palestine has many examples of courageous thinkers who have suffered for their views: Steven Salaita and Norman Finkelstein come immediately to mind. But the blackout has been so far-reaching for so long that we can say that an entire subject has been ignored or distorted in the mainstream almost beyond recognition.

Right now, Israel is conducting a violent sabotage campaign against Iran, in an effort to provoke America into war — and there is a nearly complete news blackout in the United States. 

Maybe the 153 celebrated signatories to that now famous letter to Harper’s magazine that warned about “cancel culture” could draft another epistle, one that appeals for an end to suppressing free discussion about Israel and Palestine.

On July 10, another explosion hit near near Tehran, the latest in a string that have struck at, among other targets, Iran’s nuclear energy program at Natanz. The New York Times, to its credit, is reporting on the sabotage campaign, and the paper even said that one of the attacks was “apparently engineered by Israel.” But beyond the basic facts, nothing: no editorials, no opinion pieces warning about the risk of war, no reminder that Benjamin Netanyahu has been trying to instigate the U.S. against Iran for at least a decade. There was no effort to explain that Israel’s attacks are meant to goad Iran into retaliating, which will draw in the U.S., and possibly help Donald Trump’s sinking reelection campaign.

At least the Times is doing the bare minimum. So far in the Washington Post, not a word from its own reporters or commenters; you would think that the paper could find sources in the D.C. intelligence community to explain the danger of war. On National Public Radio, one short, confused report that provided no context at all. Foreign coverage on the U.S. cable networks continues to be an insignificant joke.

U.S. soldiers, sailors and pilots could soon find themselves in a shooting war that would stun our citizens with its suddenness. 

The mainstream U.S. media’s failure to report Israel’s effort to provoke fighting with Iran is happening at the same time as American journalistic malpractice continues over Netanyahu’s plan to illegally annex up to 30 percent of occupied West Bank Palestine. There has been very little news coverage of annexation, and Palestinian voices continue to be ignored. Three members of the New York Times editorial board have extensive experience with Israel/Palestine: Thomas Friedman, Bret Stephens and Bari Weiss. None of them has yet written a single word about annexation. 

Here is a final paradox. “Cancel culture” means that the New York Times and the rest of the mainstream are nearly closed to the truth about both Israel’s instigation over Iran, and its probable illegal annexation in the West Bank. But Friedman, the most influential foreign affairs columnist in America, has to, along with his editorial page colleagues, self cancel — because he, like them, can’t write anything without sharply criticizing Israel.

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One area in which there’s a particularly egregious lack of reporting is the home demolitions – the demolitions are a physical fact, they happen almost every day, they displace thousands of Palestinians every year and yet there’s nary a word on this stuff from the New York Times or the PBS news hour – if you just paid attention to the mainstream media you’d think the occupation was benign.

“The Meaning of Israel’s Massive Housing Demolitions in East Jerusalem” by Jeff Halper –

https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/israel-occupation-palestine-housing-east-jerusalem/

https://imemc.org/article/us-organizations-demand-change-in-us-foreign-policy-towards-israel-and-palestine/

“US Organizations Demand Change in US Foreign Policy Towards Israel and Palestine” IMEMC news, July 1, 2020

“In a letter to US presidential candidates Joe Biden and Donald Trump, more than 100 US organizations appealed to the potential leaders to adopt a moral and principled foreign policy regarding Palestine and Israel, the Palestinian WAFA News Agency reported.

“The organizations that endorsed the letter included American Muslims for Palestine, CODEPINK, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), If Not Now, Jewish Voice for Peace, Kairos USA, and Peace Action.

“The groups called on the US leadership to adopt a foreign policy based on justice, freedom, equality, and human dignity.

“The following are some of the groups’ conditions for a presidential candidate:

“Oppose Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, and its unlawful blockade of the Gaza Strip;
acknowledge Israel’s obligations toward the so-called ‘protected persons’ of the besieged Gaza Strip, as required under international law; apply conditions for military funding to Israel, to end the widespread Israeli violations of Palestinian human rights and adherence to the Arms Export Control Act and the Leahy Law; support H.R. 2407, the “Promoting Human Rights for Palestinian Children Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act,” sponsored by Representative Betty McCollum;
demand the government of Israel protect Palestinian civilians from illegal Israeli settler violence;
support Palestinian refugee rights, in line with international law and relevant UN resolutions;
relocate the US Embassy back to Tel Aviv, as East Jerusalem is confirmed to be occupied territory;
reject any recognition of Israeli sovereignty over occupied Palestinian territory.”

Vis a vis Thos Friedman – he *would* NEVER write any article, piece, comment, what have you criticizing “Israel” (OAP – Occupier of All Palestine). Never.

And how is he, the voice of the righteousness of zionism and the OAP, a very influential foreign affairs “journalist”? He is surely “the” voice, the trumpet of such as AIPAC and the likes of Sharon, Ben Gurion, Netanyahoo…

Regarding the strong likelihood that Netanyahoo is doing all he can to provoke a) Iran into retaliation and thus b) the US to obliterate Iran in order for OAP to grab as much land hither, thither and yon (i.e. what was around WWI “Greater Syria” and declare it all “Israel.” Grotesque does not cover it; nor obscene. Terroristic barbarism – with a good dollop of that old Nazi-fascist “Lebensraum” notion.

NPR and the BBC World Service are no better at reporting truthfully – let alone objectively, impartially – on anything, any government, country, culture that the empire has decided is either to be left unmentioned or is to be excoriated. No matter how profoundly such “reportage,” Newspeak is hypocritical.

Thus we only get the merest mention of what the OAP is doing to the Palestinians (NEVER that they are bulldozing homes, that they are imprisoning, killing, maiming children for example) and ONLY when that mention can be twisted, couched in such a way as to blame Hamas…OAP was “only” retaliating…(No mention of what that “retaliation” caused Palestinians to endure, mind you.)