To read any of the reports by The New York Times, BBC, The Guardian, Washington Post, Reuters or Associated Press, one could be forgiven for thinking that Palestinian worshipers were severely mistreated by heavy-handed Israeli security forces.
By Emanuel Miller, Honest Reporting
On Friday, thousands of Muslim worshippers chanted violent slogans while rioting on the Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest site, also location of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest place. Over 200 Palestinians and 17 Israeli police officers were wounded in resulting clashes.
But that wasn’t how the media reported the story.
To read any of the reports by The New York Times, BBC, The Guardian, Washington Post, Reuters or Associated Press, one could be forgiven for thinking that Palestinian worshipers were severely mistreated by heavy-handed Israeli security forces.
Such a representation is not only a distortion of the facts, but also blurs the bigger picture.
Omitted from Reports: Palestinian Battle Cries
“Ya Qassam, Ya Habib/Bomb, bomb, Tel Aviv.”
Those were the words on the lips of not hundreds, but thousands, of Palestinians, who had gathered at the Temple Mount to mark the last Friday of the month of Ramadan.
These weren’t the only violent words heard: the familiar old refrain, “With our soul, with our blood, we’ll redeem you, Al Aqsa” was also repeatedly chanted.
Perhaps the most egregious example came in a segment by NPR, in which chants were mentioned — but only those of a small group of Jewish extremists over the last few weeks (2:40 in audio clip). The chants in Arabic sung by thousands, of Muslim worshippers during the clashes this Friday night, however, weren’t deemed worthy of inclusion.
While this went almost entirely unreported by foreign media, Reuters should be credited for being one of the few news organizations that made mention of the incitement to violence.
Meanwhile, self-proclaimed “pro-peace” IfNotNow organization described the hate speech as “inspiring… Palestinian resistance,” saying “American Jews are with you.”
Incredible, inspiring images of Palestinian resistance coming out of Jerusalem tonight.
American Jews are with you https://t.co/TCPYR0McE2
— IfNotNow (@IfNotNowOrg) May 8, 2021
You inspire us. We’re sending love, strength, and solidarity. https://t.co/PDDPFxQE5n
— IfNotNow🔥 (@IfNotNowOrg) May 11, 2021
Indeed, it is time for real action by the American government to ensure Palestinian rights. Powerful statement from the types of political leaders we need in this moment. https://t.co/7Hph5WdM5G
— IfNotNow🔥 (@IfNotNowOrg) May 11, 2021
Simplistic ‘Sheikh Jarrah Land Conflict’ Framing
In recent days, a legal debate over the fate of a few properties in the Shimon HaTzaddik/Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in eastern Jerusalem has made international headlines. While it is clear that this issue has been used as a rallying call by rioters in Jerusalem, media reports have oversimplified the narrative to the point of effectively ignoring Palestinian intolerance.
An article by the BBC published after the Friday night rioting serves as a perfect case in point. It opened by documenting the numbers of injured and noting the weapons used by each side, thereby creating the impression of ‘courageous’ Palestinians underdogs standing up to brutal Israeli security personnel:
At least 163 Palestinians and six Israeli police officers have been hurt in clashes in Jerusalem, Palestinian medics and Israeli police say. Most were injured at the Al-Aqsa mosque, where Israeli police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades as Palestinians threw stones and bottles.”
The next paragraph frames the issue as arising on the backdrop of another:
Tensions have been rising over the potential eviction of Palestinians from land claimed by Jewish settlers.”
That’s all. Not a word about the recent trend of unprovoked attacks by Palestinians on Jewish Israelis; or the non-stop incitement by Palestinian politicians, religious leaders and media; or that the frequency of Palestinian terrorism almost always increases during Ramadan.
Downplayed: Palestinian Violence
Another seemingly inconvenient fact ignored by the media is that Palestinian rioters brought large rocks to the Temple Mount and stashed them inside Al Aqsa Mosque. Videos of the clashes also show Palestinians using fireworks as weapons, forcing Israeli border police to use shields to protect themselves. It also seems that lasers were used to distract and disorient the officers.
This video footage provided by the Israeli Police is invaluable, as it helps viewers properly understanding what is captured in the lead image used by the Washington Post. The Post’s caption of the photo reads, “Palestinians react as Israeli police fire stun grenades during clashes at the compound that houses the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City.”
However, the picture very clearly shows fireworks exploding in mid-air, most likely those used by Palestinians — with a view to harming Israeli security forces — that prompted a response.
And whereas stun grenades were at times indeed used by security forces as a dispersal method, this is what they actually look like when they explode.
It seems clear, then, that the Post‘s caption is inaccurate.
Unreported: Palestinian Power Struggle
For perhaps the first time ever, hundreds of Hamas flags were this weekend flown on the Temple Mount. The terrorist organization that rules the Gaza Strip is dedicated to Israel’s destruction and is evidently making inroads in Jerusalem.
I can't recall seeing this many Hamas flags on the grounds of al-Aqsa. pic.twitter.com/aFi4nyRLal
— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) May 9, 2021
The flags should speak for themselves, given that they represent a genocidal group. But there is another angle to this occurrence.
As was widely expected, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas recently canceled legislative elections originally scheduled for May 22. Since then, tensions have been rising between Abbas’ Fatah faction, which essentially governs the West Bank by fiat, and Hamas. In response, Hamas has increased its incitement against the Jewish state in what many analysts construe as an attempt to up its public profile by demonstrating its nationalistic bona fides.
Unfortunately, readers are routinely deprived of detailed, nuanced coverage of the decade-and-a-half-long intra-Palestinian conflict. This has resulted in fundamental misperceptions about the relationship between Israel and the Palestinians, as well as between the Palestinians themselves. In this case, the result is clear: readers are left misinformed as to what truly accounts for the latest escalation of violence in Jerusalem.
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