NEWSPEAK REVISITED

SUMMARY.

The International Media - with some exceptions - has shown itself a very obedient pawn in the propaganda war waged by Israel and its allies in the course of the Gaza military operation.

TEXT.

The events in Gaza have transformed me into a Television addict, and, as a consequence, for a great part of the day, I gaze at the screen in muted disbelief, my mind inundated by the International Media (with some notable and laudable exceptions) as it incessantly repeats all the familiar Israeli arguments which, through this constant repletion seem to acquire a life and even a veracity of their own. The opposing side just does not have the material to counter this constant barrage of half-truths, platitudes, shibboleths and downright falsehoods which mercilessly tell us why “we” are right and hence “they” are wrong. Of course, propaganda, especially in times of armed conflict, tends to be mendacious, a bit like political messages or publicity campaigns, but what strikes me here is the massive support that this particular type of mendacity seems to be receiving from the International Community, at the highest level of Government and, of course, from the Media.

A succession of pathetic scenarios is served up and constantly adjusted as the situation on the ground worsens and becomes more and more difficult to justify. For example, what began as a “rain of Hamas Rockets” has now been transformed in the image of “a million Israeli civilians terrorized by rocket attacks for the past eight years”, with the implication that during this period the people in the Gaza Strip were living in luxurious penthouses sipping Daiquiris and enjoying the spectacle of Israeli civilians being massacred, and not, instead, trying desperately to cope with an illegal and brutal foreign occupation.

The double-talk incessantly thrown at us from the highest Government officials to anonymous spokespersons is faithfully echoed, almost verbatim, by world leaders around the Globe, with very few exceptions (e.g. Iran, the Arab States and some others, including, to some extent, the Holy See) We are therefore repeatedly told that Israel, by invading Gaza and undertaking what can only be described as a killing spree is actually engaging in a “defensive action”.

We are also told – and at this stage the double-talk becomes nauseating – that, contrary to the Palestinians, the Israeli have “respect for human life”, without adding that for them non-Israelis are scarcely considered human (should I use the term “untermenschen”?). Those who tell us this gaze unflinchingly at pictures of children’s bodies being brought to the morgue, but this only because, of course, they were being used as “human shields”.

The double-talk becomes a fresh version of “newspeak” when Governments are comfortably classified into two categories: “moderate” (i.e. those who agree with Israel) and “extremist” (those who disagree).

The list is long, and this whole tragic farce seems set to continue until the enemies of Israel will be cowed or, better still, annihilated.