With Israel eager to restrict the spread of Covid-19, it's no surprise that the government moved to impose restrictions, including on protests, so much of the media either published the news matter-of-factly, or didn't cover it at all.
Perhaps because, with a complete lockdown under way, the lifting of the exemption for political protests is not as outrageous as @Guardian would have us believe.
Regardless, the @Guardian and others have the right to cover whichever stories they choose. What is less legitimate, however, is the contrived manner in which internal critics of Israeli government policies are repeatedly given a platform far exceeding their own significance.
This tendency, taken together with the blurring of the lines between news reporting and news analysis, leads to an ongoing stream of negative news content from some media outlets.
This has a real, distortionary effect on the public's opinion of Israel.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
Words like “genocide,” “collective punishment,” and “famine” are often thrown around inaccurately.
Here’s what these terms actually mean—and why they don’t apply to Israel. 🧵
Genocide is about intent: it’s an intentional effort to destroy an entire group. Israel’s goal is to dismantle terror threats, not to target civilians.
Why it doesn’t apply: Israel is operating in self-defense under international law, aiming at military targets—not civilians.
Here we go again. @washingtonpost has joined @CNN, @nytimes & @guardian as the 4th media outlet in the past 3 weeks to have published almost identical stories accusing the IDF of using Palestinians as human shields.
All 4 stories use Breaking the Silence, whose critics repeatedly allege, appears to frequently rely on “either fabricated or exaggerated” testimonies from former soldiers & are “motivated by financial & political concerns to further a pro-Palestinian agenda.” honestreporting.com/breaking-the-m…
Here are 3 “journalists” whose work is more about propaganda than reporting. 🧵
Meet Plestia Alaqad: She spread the false “massacre” story about Gaza’s al-Ahli Hospital, even though the explosion was later traced to a misfired Palestinian rocket.
Yet, major outlets like The Washington Post & The Guardian continue to give her a platform.
Hind Khoudary isn’t just reporting—she’s collaborating. She once alerted Hamas about Gazan peace activists meeting with Israelis, leading to arrests.
So why does she still have credibility with outlets like The Washington Post and The Independent?
On the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, let’s dig into the history behind the British Mandate—a story of promises, resistance, and resilience. 🧵
Before Israel, the land was under Ottoman rule for 400 years. After WWI, the British took control, reviving the name “Palestine” politically for the first time since the 7th century.
Britain made some big promises during WWI: Arab independence, a secret deal with France to carve up the Middle East, and the Balfour Declaration—a public commitment to a Jewish homeland in Palestine.