ERIC MALLOY OF BRIDGES FOR PEACE--WE STAND WITH ISRAEL –RE: OPERATION PILLAR OF DEFENCE
Eric Malloy, National Director, Bridges for Peace, Canada, November 16, 2012
Social media and Internet communications have revolutionized the war of words, spins and propaganda unleashed yet again as the Israeli – Palestinian conflict unfolds in Operation Pillar of Defense - Israel’s defensive offensive to protect her citizens and sovereignty against Iran’s Gaza proxy, Hamas. This operation and the reasons why it is under way pose another opportunity for Western media and communicators to fairly and honestly assess, analyze, and report rather than default to out-of-date, misused and politicized words, phrases, images and sound bytes.
Kudos to those journalists who go to the effort to fairly and honestly report and who genuinely research historical and present factors from reliable sources, using terminology and images that are closer to truth. These journalists and media outlets care that their work is more than “news” because truth matters. We who consume news need to care about truth and insist on it from news producers. We need less “opinion shaping” and more simple truthful news. In the case of Israel-related reporting, truth is too often sacrificed with Israel being portrayed as evil occupier and aggressor while those seeking Israel’s harm and elimination are essentially given a free media ride on a plethora of rhetorical words and images.
Operation Pillar of Defense was necessitated because of Islamist terrorism, not merely Hamas “militant” activity against Israel. False charges of “apartheid” are levied against Israel by those who truly demonstrate apartheid and whose raison d'être includes the elimination of Israel and all Jews from the Middle East. The rhetorical false accusation that Israel is “illegally occupying” Arab land should be seen for what it is. The casual reader of 20thcentury history knows that Israel (1948), along with Arab neighbours were legally assigned nationhood on Middle East real estate – one Jewish state in a sea of Arab states – all legal. Who among us would be foolish enough to call for the delegitimization or elimination of Jordan (1946), Syria (1946), Saudi Arabia (1932), Lebanon (1943), Iraq (1932), Kuwait (1961). So why tolerate the anti-Semitic, intolerant, apartheid calls by Israel’s enemies, many of whom are public Holocaust deniers, for her elimination?! How can we entertain any notion of moral equivalency between Israel and those attacking her when Israel’s military goes to extraordinary extremes to minimize harm to Palestinian civilians while the Hamas terrorists target Jewish civilians with rockets launched from Palestinian schools, homes, and hospitals?!
It is inexcusable that the United Nations, many Religious groups including some Christian denominations, and many media outlets play a major role in the use and perpetuation of these false characterizations and historical misinformation against Israel. Peace will move forward only as the lone Jewish and democratic Middle Eastern state is accepted and respected as a welcome member of the family of nations, with safe and secure borders, free from existential aggression from hostile neighbours. The Canadian government’s principled example of support for Israel provides a beacon of hope. For its part, Bridges for Peace will continue its mandate for supporting Israel through publishing balanced news and biblical teaching from Jerusalem, and by operating two large assistance centres in Israel providing food and other aid for Israel's poor - Jew and Arab.
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