Time for an honest update on the war in Gaza
Nearly all mainstream media, pursue false narratives.
Woohoo TAT readers… it’s almost the weekend.
Today marks the five-month anniversary of the barbaric, medieval onslaught by Hamas, against Israel and primarily, her civilians. This update on the war in Gaza will not be one based on the false narratives that you find in nearly all, primary news media. Today is a sobering look at how badly and intentionally, most mainstream media has portrayed the conflict.
During the first 8-10 weeks of the war, I wrote roughly 18 partly or fully focused, in-depth reports on the war. For background, I will share most of those links later in this article as they pertain to the discussion. Israel, the Middle East and terrorism are all areas directly in my wheelhouse, personally and professionally. I am yet to find any mainstream reporting that gives a complete perspective, let alone a fully honest one. Six of my earlier 18 essays, are devoted exclusively to and the dishonesty of the reporting. I encourage all to at least give a cursory glance at these.
Has all media, good and bad, forgotten how to report with facts and context? (truthaboutthreats.com)
What the hell is wrong with almost all media reporting on the conflict in Gaza and ignoring the brutality in Ukraine and other nations? (truthaboutthreats.com)
“If it bleeds, it leads” - by Paul Cobaugh (truthaboutthreats.com)
I derive no satisfaction from this, "I told you so." (truthaboutthreats.com)
Mainstream news outlets are borderline antisemitic in their reporting about the war in Gaza. (truthaboutthreats.com)
Freedom of the Press is our right but we should expect truth, not agendas that kill human beings. (truthaboutthreats.com)
As it pertains to Israel and my interest, I am the first to admit a half-century love affair with the nation or at least the concept of the nation. This has not changed, but with Bibi/ PM Netanyahu as their leader, she has slipped dramatically from her roots. Netanyahu and his cabinet are every bit as destructive to the Jewish State as Trump and MAGA are to true US values. There is no reasonable argument to disprove this. Racism, corruption and wielding power for the purpose of cruelty to innocents, is the core of who they are. I discussed all of this in my second of those 18 articles, on Oct. 9th, two days after the barbaric massacres in Israel.
That October 9th article was a deep explainer and where I named six entities who that I professionally assessed, as having blame for the massacre. Bibi and his cabinet were one of the six.
I no longer read western media regarding the war against Hamas. I have spent 50 years reading Israeli news from one source or another, have traveled to Israel and the West Bank and still have a daughter living in the north of Israel, where she is experiencing attacks for the first time in her life. Like all Israelis, she has learned to accept the reality of living where so many of Israel’s neighbors are committed to genocide for the Jewish state. I married her mom while in the Army in the 1970s when she was still an Israeli/ Canadian citizen, serving in the US Army. Although our marriage ended 28 years later amicably, my love affair with Israel, did not.
Fortunately, the overwhelming majority of Israelis, feel as I do regarding Bibi and his cruel administration. In fact, hundreds of thousands of Israelis spent months in the streets demonstrating against Bibi, in the months before the Hamas attack. Like the rest of the far-right governments dotting the globe over the past decade, Bibi had been attempting to undermine the justice system in Israel, to give him more authoritarian control over the nation.
Regardless of party, Israelis outside the handful of right-wing extremist parties, were having none of Bibi’s disgraceful behavior. Even the army, reserves, intelligence agencies had already decided that they would not participate in Bibi’s extremist agendas, largely against Palestinians. This is why that I include Bibi’s administration as one of the six entities to blame, for October 7th.
In an October 13th article, I described and dismantled some tragically prevalent, false narratives about Israel, the Palestinian people etc. Here is part of that dismantling:
“We are swimming in mis/ disinformation about everything connected to Ukraine, Gaza, China, Iran and far more. Timeworn false narratives revolving around both conflicts are pervasive and they even creep into better journalism sometimes too. For example: The false narrative that Israel “occupies” Gaza. Occupation ended in 2005. HAMAS was elected to govern Gaza in 2007 and has bullied Gazans during elections, ever since, in order to remain in power. Their charter and more recent governing covenant are terrorist manifestos, not in service to their people. The false narrative that this is a religious war. No, this is about power for despotic states like, HAMAS, Hizbollah, Iran, Russia and China, in that order. It is also about power mongering by the new, extreme, right-wing government of Bibi Netanyahu.
The false narrative that Jews and Arabs hate each other is also all-over lesser media sites and especially on US far-right media sites. The cooperative Arab/ Palestinian peace movement and support is huge, vocal and long supported from both sides. There is also, a huge, two-state majority in Israel willing to ignore the same tired pot-stirrers and bravely try peaceful cohabitation. Here are a just a few, of many examples. People to People: Examining Grassroots Peacebuilding Efforts Between Israelis and Palestinians | United States Institute of Peace (usip.org) Israel and Palestine (cartercenter.org) Bat Shalom — Peace Insight About ALLMEP - Alliance for Middle East Peace
The false narrative that no one is offering peace and sanctuary for those civilian Palestinians, forced to evacuate. There is of course, an immediate need for these long-suffering human beings. Israel, in cooperation with the US, Egypt and countless international aid agencies are working around the clock to work out how to evacuate and serve the evacuees with basic necessities. One major obstacle to getting refugees to safety in or out of Gaza, is Egypt’s refusal to allow passage through the Rafah gate/ checkpoint. Egypt has a short, 3- or 4-mile border with Gaza and the only way in or out for the time being. In fact, most Arab neighboring nations, have also said no to accepting refugees. Secretary Blinken and his team are working round the clock to negotiate use of Egypt’s checkpoint, with the Al-Sissi government." - A quick Sunday update regarding the Israeli/Palestinian conflict in Gaza - Cobaugh
The quotes above, are but a tip of the proverbial iceberg. So much about Israel, the Arabs calling themselves Palestinians and the war between them lives in narratives only and most are false.
Truth be told, the hierarchy of evil in Gaza, is little different than the hierarchy of evil waging a genocidal war against Ukraine, but the mainstream news, rarely will offer a much wider perspective. I outlined much of this when writing on October 18th in an article titled, “Three things about the war in Gaza that we all must understand. (truthaboutthreats.com).
On October 21, I began writing about the Russian, Chinese, Iranian, Hamas and Hezbollah influence operations that most western media bought, “hook, line and sinker.” Tragically, no western nation has any demonstrable expertise in such. This simply means that evil propaganda, has no opposition on the cognitive battlefield. Mainstream media pushed everything both the US and the Hamas run, Health Ministry said. Both have since been disgraced regarding their complicity. I may never read another Reuters or BBC article due to this shoddy, dishonest reporting. Both became overt broadcasters of Hamas propaganda.
By the time October 24th rolled around, I doubled back to that original article on October 9th and began explaining more of the complexity and complicity of the axis of evil, from China, Russia, Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah. This article is worth your time and references Putin’s bloody hands in Gaza and the genocidal intent of Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah. That essay and the following one
On November 6th, I did what no soldier ever wants to do, make a “cost-benefit-analysis/ CBA on the costs and rewards regarding the war in Gaza. This is essentially an estimate of what can be gained or lost, and at what price. All too often during war, this revolves around the civilian casualty tolls, which has been exceptionally painful, for all moral individuals, soldier or otherwise. What western media refuses to discuss, is any form of CBA and the underlying factors, which are nearly endless. The bottom line is that Israel must finish the job of dismantling every vestige of operational capability for Hamas, their Iranian and Russian trainers/ suppliers and also, Iran’s reach into Gaza, the West Band, Lebanon and Syria. Outside of Jordan and Egypt, all those within Israel’s border, are potential victims of terrorism, 24/ 7. Of course, my daughter is one of those threatened.
People that have deep expertise has long monitored Israel’s conduct of this war for their survival. Having everyone on that chart of those to blame, as a constant threat is nothing that any sane nation would put up with. By declaration, at least 3 on the list, Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah, intend genocide against the Jewish State, that also includes 2 million Palestinian legal citizens/ residents as well. Some even fight in the IDF/ Israel Defense Forces against the terrorists and their nation-state sponsors like Iran and Russia.
Some of those monitoring experts are from the prestigious Lieber Institute at West Point and include world class expertise on LOAC/ the Law of Armed Conflict. This article below should be an eye-opener for those hooked on the false narrative about Israel committing genocide. It is quite the opposite. Too bad the Reuters, BBC and others don’t read real reporting and continue to push such ugly and further conflict generating false narratives.
From the article above: "The IDF understands these realities and has accordingly long provided warnings before attacking targets in Gaza and elsewhere (see, e.g., report on 2008 Gaza operation, paras. 262-265; Sharvit, Baruch, & Neuman, p. 367-72)). These practices have drawn a great deal of attention. For instance, an International Law Association (ILA) Study Group on the Conduct of Hostilities (of which I was a member) observed in 2017 that, Israel’s 2014 operations in Gaza, and the extensive efforts to provide such warnings, have elevated the discourse on this warnings precaution to unprecedented levels: some worry that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) created an unrealistically high bar on when and how to provide warnings; conversely, some condemn the IDF because the warnings did not produce their intended effects; finally, some suggest that the extent of warnings were the result of policy decisions, and not legal obligation. What can be said with confidence is that the IDF regularly uses a wide variety of warnings, almost certainly more than any other military. Best known are phone calls to individuals within a building to be struck (and those nearby) in order to gather information about the number of people there and instruct them to evacuate. As I previously explained following a research trip to Israel with Colonel John Merriam at the invitation of the IDF " - ISRAEL – HAMAS 2023 SYMPOSIUM – THE IDF, HAMAS, AND THE DUTY TO WARN - Michael N. Schmitt | Oct 27, 2023
The overwhelming refusal by mainstream media to report on the extreme measures that Hamas goes to in order to create civilian casualties for propaganda purposes, is a shame that may never wash off of their reputations. Their refusal also has the tragic effect of increasing such activity due to no public condemnation from nations or groups. The UN has been especially disgraceful in Gaza but that calls for an entire deep-dive article by itself. No, Israel is not perfect but as stated by the experts from West Point:
“What can be said with confidence is that the IDF regularly uses a wide variety of warnings, almost certainly more than any other military. Best known are phone calls to individuals within a building to be struck (and those nearby) in order to gather information about the number of people there and instruct them to evacuate.” - Michael N. Schmitt - October 23, 2024
Something that is difficult for those who have not experienced war first-hand to realize is, war is in fact, hell. It is ugly, painful, often unprincipled, catastrophic for both combatants and non-combatants and far more. The scars are deep, eternal and often drive further conflict. War is not practiced like surgery, no matter how careful moral combatants try. Only telling the truth can help to prevent further conflict over the same issues. Allowing adversaries exclusive control of the cognitive battlefield, is the worst and most dangerous of provocateurs.
Ours and most of our allies’ incompetence in Narrative Warfare unintentionally has allowed those seeds of false narratives, to mature into full-blown threats and future conflicts. When we cannot or refuse to employ narrative in support of ours and our allies’ objectives, it allows dishonest or incompetent media to control those false narratives. Much of what I have written here today, is little or nothing that you have ever heard from your favorite news outlets. They and their investors and advertisers are really the ones controlling such media.
There are so many in the West whose intentions towards the Palestinian people are admirable but without truth, are specifically perpetuating conflict. Israel has no choice but to defend herself. All that anyone has a right to demand of her is to do all possible to act in accordance with the LOAC/ Law of Armed Conflict. According to the Lieber Institute, they not only fully comply, but have set the bar higher than any other military.
When it comes to good, but misplaced good intentions, I wrote a long essay back on November 17th, The road to hell is paved with good intentions."
From the article:
"I don’t blame people for acting on what they have been spoon fed from media, but I do expect citizens, like our founders, to be well and accurately informed. It is the only way to sustain our republic and the lives of victims from terrorists, aggressive and genocidal leaders like Putin, Xi and the Iranian thugs posturing as “religious leaders.” - The road to hell is paved with good intentions - Truth about Threats - Cobaugh - November 17th
Summary
If we wish to see the most ethical and sustainable end to not only the war in Gaza and Ukraine, but all conflicts, it is critical that journalism ethics experts do what they did after our Yellow Journalism scourge at the turn of the century from the 19th to the 20th centuries. They must enact and enforce the highest standards of responsible journalism. At and towards the end of the Yellow Journalism phase, investigative journalists called muckrakers did what former Supreme Court Justice, Louis Brandeis recommended in one of his more famous quotes, they shone light onto corruption in government, corporations and the inhumanity of social issues such as racism.
I like to think that there is a little bit of muckraker in my efforts with “TAT/ Truth about Threats.” The current trends in US history are so very similar to the era that required real journalists to set the record straight. Heaven knows, I am no journalist, but I firmly believe that citizens have the right to the truth or at a minimum, an effort to achieve my definition of truth.
Truth is: "All known facts, presented objectively and in context." - Cobaugh
Like Jack Nicholson’s most famous quote from, “A few good men,” so many Americans say that they want the truth but in fact Nicholson was right in the quote.
"You want answers?" "I want the truth." "You can't handle the truth!" - Jack Nicholson as Col. Jessup - A few good men - Columbia Pictures
I hope that today’s more sober essay and links to deep-dive background, helps readers to better understand the tragedy in Israel and Gaza. The truth is so far more complex and different than what media portrays. At the end of the day, an overwhelming majority of Israelis and Palestinians are the victims and bear the burden of the ongoing conflict. It is also inspired by nations like Russia, China and Iran, for their own selfish purposes. It’s perpetuated by propaganda and Narrative Warfare that the US and our allies are impotent to compete in. Then there are the media sites masquerading as legitimate news sources, daily blaring all manner of false narratives that sell advertising and inspire investors that can profit from their dishonest reporting. Like everything in a democracy, we the people have the power. First though, we must be convinced that we are being subjected to and are subservient to propaganda.
Mark Twain said it best:
All my best to everyone for a fantastic weekend.
Paul