What was once a fringe position is now the majority view, as Israel’s brutality radicalizes even the previously apolitical
You wouldn’t have heard about it in the Canadian mainstream media, but Hamas was explicit about its strategic objectives on October 7, 2023—among them, to force renewed global attention on the Palestinian struggle and delegitimize Israel on the world stage.
In the wake of the attack, Canadian legacy outlets adopted Israel’s framing not only of what had happened, but why—presenting it as an unprovoked spasm of terroristic brutality carried out by a horde of unthinking barbarians, rather than a desperate yet meticulously planned act of violent resistance set against the backdrop of Israel’s 77-year history of ethnic cleansing and occupation.
The media not only adopted this general narrative framing, but also frequently parroted Israeli misinformation about specific atrocities. The CBC News Network, for instance, allowed an Israeli government advisor to air lies that Hamas “beheaded children [and] burnt babies alive” without pushback. Meanwhile, the National Post website still hosts an article featuring a fabricated image of a burned baby.
In November 2023, the New York Times, which also published debunked Hamas atrocity propaganda without retraction, at least interviewed senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya about the group’s motives. Al-Hayya explained that Operation Al-Aqsa Flood was intended to “change the entire equation” in the region and argued that the assault had “succeeded in putting the Palestinian issue back on the table.”
Similarly, in December 2023, when asked about the aims of October 7, Hamas political bureau member Osama Hamdan told the Turkish national broadcaster, TRT, that “everyone is talking now about the Palestinian cause.” The operation, he suggested, had quickly shown “everyone the clear and the right face of Israel, as… a savage occupation.”
Whether one condemns the militants’ tactics or questions if the staggering human cost Israel has since inflicted on Gaza and the West Bank could ever be worth the price—a debate that divides Palestinians themselves—there is no denying that Hamas has achieved this objective. (more...)
The changing tide of public opinion threatens Israel’s crumbling legitimacy
No comments:
Post a Comment