An analysis of how the Pro-Israeli lobbies that permeate mainstream media as well as Western nations into endorsing Israeli atrocities in the name of “Self-defense,” simultaneously condone the censoring of Pro-Palestinian sentiment and solidarity.

By Farah HAJJ HASSAN

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In an interview with Sky News presenter Kamali Melbourne, Naftali Bennett the former Israeli occupation Prime Minister screamed “What’s wrong with you?” when he was asked about Gazans on incubators in hospitals that may die from the cutting of electricity.

Bennett unhinged, ranted at the presenter like a belligerent toddler, and claimed that “Israel” was fighting “Nazis,” angrily declaring he would not give them electricity since they were his “enemies.”

🚨‼️ Clash entre l’ancien Premier ministre israélien Naftali Bennett et le journaliste de SkyNews Kamali Melbourne parce qu’il l’a interrogé sur le sort des civils à #Gaza

– Melbourne : « Qu’en est-il de ces Palestiniens à l’hôpital, de ces bébés dans des incubateurs à Gaza… pic.twitter.com/TKHJsBL6Lu

— Charlies Ingalls Le Vrai 🤠🐑🐄🐔🐎🤓 (@CharliesIngalls) October 12, 2023

Forget the incubators, “Israel” literally targeted the Al-Ahli Hospital housing over a thousand people, killing no less than 500 people, mostly children.

Israeli occupation forces have killed 4,200 Palestinians and counting.

As a barrage of Western media has bombarded us with unsubstantiated Israeli claims of Hamas beheading babies and raping women, the West’s double standards and massive difference in narrative when addressing Palestine as compared to Ukraine, has been noticed.

The worldwide rallying that followed the “invasion” of Ukraine was unbelievable. The entire Western world with very few exceptions expressed support for Ukraine and condemnation of Russia.

Ukrainians ‘brave’, Palestinians ‘terrorists’

Why does the US enable “Israel” to continue its crimes? Because “Israel”, like Ukraine, is a pawn for US interest in the region. This was expressed by Joe Biden back in his pre-President, more coherent days of 1986.

As the war in Ukraine rages and Kiev’s “popular resistance” is continuously promoted and funded, Palestinians around the world wonder why their cause has not been backed even remotely as close to Ukraine’s.

Maybe it’s because their resistance has lasted for over 70 years and has not been sensationalized in mainstream media (mm). Or maybe it is because Russia does not have powerful lobbies in the West influencing public and political opinion.

MM circulated gut-wrenching images of Ukrainians “resisting” with Molotov cocktails while Western reporters lamented the poor civilians who look white, European, and “civilized.”

In a controversial video, a CBS reporter in Kiev explained, astonished, that Ukraine was not like “Iraq, or Afghanistan.” Why? Because Kiev was “civilized.”

Zelensky himself rushed to proclaim his support for the Israeli occupation and condemn the “terrorists” of Hamas while accusing Russia of funding them.

How can a man who has been globally supported financially and morally to literally “Free” his country from an “invasion” have the audacity to proclaim his support for an apartheid state that has been crushing its second-class population for decades?

Palestinians on the other hand, are called “terrorists” by Western media, are accused of using human shields, attacked for being “anti-semitic” due to BDS policies, and are widely told to give up their cause and concede to a two-state solution to “end the violence.”

The reality is that the West and the US in particular only encourage revolutions when it is in their favor.

From Vietnam to Iraq, to Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria, the amount of times American officials have convinced Americans that they are fighting for their “freedom” is mind-boggling.

The devil works hard but AIPAC works harder

The Israeli occupation military recently requested that the AIPAC Pro-Israeli lobby in the US support its ongoing atrocities in Gaza when the “ugly” scenes from Gaza started to surface.

A spokesperson for the Israeli military, Jonathan Conricus told AIPAC on October 13 that “Tel Aviv” would need the support of parties that want to “stand up for what’s right.”

He explained that the scenes from Gaza would be “hard to stomach,” but not as hard as the “things coming out of Kibbutz Be’eri and Kfar Aza.

“The things” in his address refer to media reports that emerged alleging that babies were beheaded, among other unsubstantiated actions. The reporter who made the initial claim denied that they had seen evidence of such an event and said they were told by one Israeli soldier. Additionally, the US President and several officials have admitted to not seeing any evidence. Moreover, the CNN reporter who made the false story go viral later apologized for her report, stating that she “needs to be more careful with [her] words,” admitting that she was “misinformed.”

AIPAC’s explicit mission is to influence Congress on Israeli problems and legislation. AIPAC meets with members of Congress on a regular basis and arranges events where it may “express its views.”

When these views are there to embolden and encourage Israeli actions, it is not hard to see why and how the US continues to stay mute on its atrocities. These “views” cost thousands of lives in Gaza and ensure the occupation pockets $3 billion in aid annually.

Drawing parallels

When Gustavo Petro, the President of Colombia accused the Israeli occupation Security Minister Yoav Gallant of utilizing language about Gazans similar to what Nazis used regarding Jews, “Israel,” was outraged.

Ironically, the clear implication that Jews in “Israel” should not repeat the tactics and language once used against their ancestors flew right over Israeli heads. The Israeli Foreign Ministry still managed to accuse Petro of anti-Semitism and halt all security deliveries to the country.

Vladimir Putin also drew the same parallels, albeit without being as direct as Petro, when he warned “Israel” against implementing a siege on Gaza reminiscent of the Leningrad siege by Nazi Germany, calling it “unacceptable.”

Only in “Israel”, does self-reflection not exist, and any criticism about its tactics is met with immediate antisemitism accusations. If more than one world leader is comparing the IOF with Nazis, one would think a rational nation’s first plan of action would be to assess why and how these parallels are being drawn. However, the Israeli occupation is not rational or looking to address its shortcomings in any way.

Why does any criticism of “Israel” almost in every case instantly entail accusations of antisemitism and a hatred for Jews as a whole?

And going even further, how is it that every attempt to decolonize in the region gets labeled a terrorist attempt when it is not backed by US interests?

The media will call any political endeavor an Islamist one and any war against “Israel” an antisemitic one.

Almost every Western media outlet has treated Hamas as they did ISIS. Interview after interview, we see MM pundits demanding their pro-Palestine guests begin their interviews by condemning Hamas’ attack on innocent “peace-loving Israelis.”

Censorship is not limited to social media. Arab News recently reported that MSNBC suspended the programs of three Muslim anchors due to the ongoing aggression on Gaza. Recently, it was disclosed that Mehdi Hasan, Ayman Mohieddine, and Ali Velshi were discreetly replaced as anchors following Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.

Countries that vocalized Israeli support are the same countries with Israeli lobbies pushing a crackdown on Palestinian protests, exposing themselves as the poster children of double standards and utter hypocrisy.

France has completely banned pro-Palestine protests using the “disturbance of public order” as a transparent excuse, while neighboring Britain told police officers that chanting pro-freedom chants and waving Palestinian flags may be a “criminal offense”.

Rishi Sunak earlier declared his support for “Israel” and explained that any person in the UK who supported Hamas and its “barbaric acts of terrorism” would be held accountable, ignoring months of brutality and terror faced by Palestinians.

The occupation cannot be blamed alone if we do not hold the US equally accountable. As with Ukrainian troops, the US participates in funding and training initiatives with Israeli troops to embolden their brutality under the guise of “Self-defense.”

Months after the battle of Seif Al-Quds, the US approved a bill that along with billions in aid to “Israel,” ensures a “series of programs aimed at furthering peace in the region.”

What part of giving an occupying force $3 billion annually for use against oppressed and blockaded people is part of furthering peace?

Not only does the US fund “Israel’s” largest-ever “defense” program, the Iron Dome, but it continuously pours billions into the Israeli security fund.

According to  US Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week, even though the occupation may be strong enough to defend itself, it never has to. The US will always be right by its side.

A horrible PR strategy

“Israel” is its own worst enemy, and it does such a poor PR job that it openly shows no sympathy for dead Palestinian civilians and openly expresses its genocidal intentions. Instead of at least pretending they cared they, along with beloved US officials, openly declare their agenda like bloodthirsty maniacs.

The former commander of the Northern Corps in the IOF, Eyal Ben Reuven, arrogantly announced in an interview with the Israeli Channel 13 that the occupation’s media rhetoric manipulation capabilities are “now being tested,” emphasizing that “So far we have not succeeded in that.”

According to Reuven, “the Israeli image must be marketed,” stressing that “the Israeli army must display all images through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs [website] or any other platform to try to give reaffirm Israeli narrative.”

Not only was the US the main contributor and constant enabler of Israeli aggression against Palestine for years, but it also has the audacity to claim it views Palestinians and Israelis in the same light. Blinken Tweeted in 2021 that “Israelis and Palestinians deserve equal measures of security, freedom, opportunity, and dignity.”

To want equal measures of security for an oppressor and his victim is an oxymoron. The US knows that “Israel” is the settler and aggressor and knows very well that its constant financial and moral support is the reason “Israel” has become as emboldened as it is.

In November 2022, Blinken accused Putin of being “barbaric” in denying heat water electricity for children and the elderly, claiming he was brutalizing them.

In his same response to news of “Israel’s” siege in Gaza and their cutting off electricity and water was no mention of barbarism or brutalization. Those terms are only reserved for Russia.

Palestine is not a double-edged sword

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently called the attack on the hospital “unacceptable,” merely days after announcing on national television that Canada supported “Israel’s” right to self-defense.

The EU Commission President, Ursula Von Der Leyen while standing by Benjamin Netanyahu, expressed that she knew “Israel” would respond to the operation of the Palestinian Resistance in a way that “shows it is a democracy.” How utterly and sadly wrong she was.

After the hospital bombing on October 17, Von Der Leyen called for those responsible to be held accountable, without a single mention of “Israel.”

In the end, the resolution to the “Crisis” in the Middle East is not a two-state solution, or eradicating Hamas. Like a cancerous tumor, the occupation itself must be removed from the site.

“Israel” itself is inhumane so long as it is led by Zionist supremacy and the crushing of Palestinian self-determination.

European and American officials can no longer condemn Palestinian resistance while simultaneously worrying about the humanitarian implications when “Israel” unleashes its revenge on Palestinians. This cannot be done together.

If this is not recognized, the “surprise” attacks by resistance factions in Palestine will never end. More importantly, the international community need not be so surprised when Palestinian resistance factions strike back at the occupation regime for its relentless and prolonged continuation of their misery.

In the words of Mohammed El Kurd, “How much violence is enough violence for people to retaliate?”

Palestine vs Ukraine: How Pro-Israeli lobbies ensure a double standard | Al Mayadeen English