Once again the glaring contrast shown by American media outlets towards the value of the lives of Israelis compared to the lives of Palestinians was on full display recently in the New York Times article recently republished in The Salt Lake Tribune titled, “What to know about the six hostages killed in Gaza.”
The authors profiled each of the six hostages who had been murdered by their Hamas captors. Moving descriptions and tributes were provided for each individually named victim. The various activities they enjoyed while alive were highlighted. Attention was given to their hopes and dreams for the future. The grief of the loved ones they left behind was also written about. The article began with a statement letting us know that all were “brutally murdered,” which is of course true. Sadly, Palestinians who are killed by Israeli forces are never described as having been “brutally murdered.” Apparently being blown into bloody fragments or being incinerated by powerful bombs isn’t a brutal way to die.
Discounting the value of Palestinian lives has been a constant in mainstream media Gaza reporting. Another New York Times article was also reprinted in The Tribune earlier this summer. It focused on the three Israeli hostages who were rescued by Israeli forces. The careful planning that went into the rescue was highlighted as was the jubilant return of the individually named hostages. The 100 to 270 anonymous Palestinians who “died” (not brutally of course) were mentioned only as a casual aside. The morality of killing scores of innocent bystanders to rescue three Israelis wasn’t ever questioned.
The disturbing bias of such reporting only serves to condition Americans to turn off their empathy to the now 40,000-plus dead Palestinians and give their unquestioning support to our government’s continued complicity in the killing of real people. Those people, most of whom are women and children, also had hopes and dreams for a better future. They also have loved ones who will grieve. Tragically, the authors of reports such as these two featured in The Tribune don’t seem to care at all about their deaths or profiling any of their lives. The message is clear. Israeli lives are precious. The lives of Palestinians are without value.
Jim Astin, Salt Lake City