Mainstream news outlets are borderline antisemitic in their reporting about the war in Gaza.

We must “vote with our feet” and diminish ad revenue for the dishonest, if we expect better behavior.

Dec 07, 2023

Happy hump day, TAT readers,

Today will be a bit abbreviated due to a morning medical procedure that seems to want to remind me a little more uncomfortably than anticipated. No worries and I promise… no more whining.

The things on my mind today are centered on a topic that I have addressed in previous writing, but due to some items in our news cycle, require a few more words today. Due to a limited time at my keyboard today, my comments will be fairly brief but, I will supplement with links to previous TAT pieces that provide background. You will not need to read the longer background pieces to understand today’s thoughts.

I have been extremely critical of what is normally called credible news, regarding Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza. I don’t do this because I am anti-Palestinian. I am critical because I, like the majority of Israelis, have long been an advocate for Palestinian rights, including a two-state solution and Israel’s right to exist, securely. Those news institutions that I have criticized, are endangering both via their very dishonest advocacy.

I also have a half-century love affair with Israel. My middle daughter shares this love and is now, a dual American/ Israeli citizen, who lives in the north, within range of both Hezbollah and Hamas rockets, including lone actor terrorist attacks.

I have especially called out the three major news services that I have previously recommended to you but now must re-evaluate. They are, Reuters, The Associated Press and the BBC. Until they return to their former credibility, I will recommend in their place, network news like ABC, CBS NBC and USA TODAY. Three that I have dropped, are not alone in their dishonest, anti-Israel influence campaigns, but they are called out because I and many of you, have long trusted them.

Previous background articles:

From a professional point of view, here are the problems this type of reporting:

First and foremost, their behavior amounts to an influence campaign. This is my professional opinion as one who has strategized, planned, written, executed and assessed such efforts, in support of US and allied national security
Their tactics of influence include some extremely disturbing implications, which are the precise intentions of such a campaign. Those implications in this case are:
1. THEY are borderline antisemitic
2. Imply that Israel is a soulless “occupier” of Gaza which is an overt lie. Israel, stopped their occupation, in 2005, whereafter, Hamas took over with a vote, held at the end of an AK 47 barrel.
3. Strongly imply that Israel is an indiscriminate murderer of innocent civilians, especially children
4. That it is Israel, that is starving, denying aid, denying fuel and bombing areas and infrastructure declared protected, under international law
5. That Israel’s response is excessive or as professionally discussed in national security terminology, “disproportionate.”
This campaign, again in my professional opinion, contributes to the significant increase in antisemitism and anti-Muslim threats, violence and intimidation, globally
Sustains and strengthens the embedded narratives, common in most societies about Jews and Israel, from time immemorial.
Emboldens Islamic extremism in the region and beyond, due to a failure to condemn and to report what is actually a false narrative rather than objective, honest reporting.

As noted above, I won’t belabor points and evidence that I’ve been expressing categorically since October 9th, when I began a 16 article series. That series was intended to offer, accurate, professional explanations to what was occurring after the barbaric, gruesome October 7th assault by more than 3,000 sadistic, Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists.

Background reading

Now, over the past couple of weeks and as all experts, me included had expressed, Israel has been more than proved accurate in their claims about:

Hamas’ use of human shields,
the imprisonment of innocent Palestinians to use as cover, to try and slip out of northern Gaza undetected.
They proved their claims of a couple of hundreds miles of tunnels, on multiple levels built under Gaza, including, LOAC/ Law of Armed Conflict “protected buildings and areas.”
The evidence of the UN knowing this and also how all of the aid, fuel, food, medicine and water was being stolen and used for military purposes rather than helping Palestinian refugees.
How it was not Israel who denied aid and also how much aid was getting into southern Gaza and provided by whom.

Foundational background regarding these dangerous, dishonest and implied accusations

This is just the short list of adverse influence narratives implied, sustained and defended to this very day, regarding their pro-Hamas and Iranian support. Yes, by their unethical advocacy and lying by omission, the effect they have achieved, is most beneficial to Hamas, Iran, Putin, Hezbollah and other nefarious actors.

Here’s the bottom line to today’s short piece.

The US National Security Community is and has for forty years, been impotent to protect the US and our allies from these types of adversarial narratives. In fact, they are, after four decades plus using our tax dollars to no avail, still have made little to no progress and worse yet, refuse to learn or adapt. This is the single most critical vulnerability in the US national security architecture, by far.

If we are to begin getting reporting again that is ethical, we must all as they say, “vote with our feet.” In other words, log off of dishonest sites, turn the channel, listen to better radio stations, do some reading from credible sites about history, our government, global and domestic politics and more. We are our own cavalry and must as I persistently declare, “be our own Minutemen” in the defense of truth and our true national and human values.

We owe our children, our grandchildren and those of our allies, far better than what we put up with these days. Not everything is political but everything we do, should be ethical, regardless of who or what party says is ethical. For example and I won’t belabor this either, FOX News as an example, has been conditioning audience for near 30 years with a false type of patriotism. On the left, audiences were spoon fed the false narratives about Israel and the Palestinian people, their rights and their origin.

Now, such narratives are embedded in the consciousness of their audiences. When still in primary and secondary school, not one of my teachers would have put up with fake anything. It’s long overdue that civics, history and critical analysis replaces indoctrination. If not, everything our founders foresaw for the greatness of our nascent republic, can and will be lost.

My very best for the rest of everyone’s week.

Here, a couple of more pain relievers and a softer pillow to sit on, are in my immediate future.

Paul

Truth About Threats

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