Are Israeli attacks on Palestinians shown in the US news?

[Kuya]

Let me see if i understand this correctly. The US media doesn't care about it because it doesn't care what happens in the Middle East, and the fact that it's Israelis and not Muslims perpetrating the acts has nothing to do with it? I don't doubt that US news tends to care very little for what happens outside the US, which i consider a pretty bad thing, since the US government doesn't just exist in the US, but i don't buy that as the sole reason why this kind of information hardly gets mentioned in the US. Specifically, when Israelis perpetrate violence against Palestinians.

you just seem like you're in bed with them

Interesting, one notices that most of the information posted is about Muslims perpetrating violence and the moment someone tries to post something putting Israeli extremists in a negative spotlight, it means you're in bed with Islam. Maybe this is why some media outlets don't report on this. And the news source does seem like it supports the Palestinian cause if you focus on it enough, but that is either because of that reason, or because the author is focusing on the Israeli extremists this time. The article nowhere starts complaining about how Israel is evil nor how all Israelis kill Palestinians, in fact, the article mentioned plenty of Israeli dissent and even let an Israeli youth expose his point of view. I'd hardly call this new source so far leaning that it wants to suicide bomb Israelis. I think you might be the one who intently is focusing on the fact that the author is criticizing Israelis, for a change.

[Sepukku]

Let me see if i understand this correctly. The US media doesn't care about it because it doesn't care what happens in the Middle East, and the fact that it's Israelis and not Muslims perpetrating the acts has nothing to do with it? I don't doubt that US news tends to care very little for what happens outside the US, which i consider a pretty bad thing, since the US government doesn't just exist in the US, but i don't buy that as the sole reason why this kind of information hardly gets mentioned in the US. Specifically, when Israelis perpetrate violence against Palestinians.

As the guy said earlier:
"Crazy religious people doing something crazy again"

We care about Greece cause:
1. Its abnormal.
2. It's not the result of religious fanatics (either side).

We do not care to hear the next small line in the ongoing Israeli/Islam play cause:
1. We've heard the same BS for years.
2. Both sides are crazy, religious fanatics.

[fantasticdan]

As the guy said earlier:
"Crazy religious people doing something crazy again"

We care about Greece cause:
1. Its abnormal.
2. It's not the result of religious fanatics (either side).

We do not care to hear the next small line in the ongoing Israeli/Islam play cause:
1. We've heard the same BS for years.
2. Both sides are crazy, religious fanatics.

The palestinians who just want to keep their homes from being demolished are religious fanatics?

[Kuya]

Who is we? Because it was my understanding that the shenanigans that involve Arabs gets more attention than if it were done by Israelis. So in this context of "the US media doesn't care because we've heard this before and it's about religious fanatics", then the actual statement would be "the US media doesn't care about Israeli/Palestinian squabbles because we've heard it before and it's about religious fanatics, but they care even less when its Israeli fanatics doing the violence".

[Charla]

Let me see if i understand this correctly. The US media doesn't care about it because it doesn't care what happens in the Middle East, and the fact that it's Israelis and not Muslims perpetrating the acts has nothing to do with it?

While you could make the argument that Americans in general don't care about the rest of the world most of the time, you can probably predict the decisions of the media in general by answering a simple question: "Can they make a story out of this?" The headlines "violence in Israel" and "violence in Palestine" simply aren't stories at this point. It doesn't even really matter whether it's a suicide bomber, a mortar, or a few guys throwing rocks, because as far as the average American is concerned, it's all the same thing that's been happening for 40 years. You can't expect an American to suddenly care about something that happens every day because now it's slightly different from what happened a week ago. And you definitely can't expect him to care about 400 guys getting killed by rocks when he's already been trying to care about 1000 guys getting killed by explosives for as long as he's been watching the news.

[Cochise]

Reporting on Jewish crimes is considered anti-semetic in the US and anyone reporting these stories in the US media is considered a traitor and blackballed from the business.

But feel free to report anything positive you just may win a Pulitzer.

[Rhinox]

This thread seriously lacks this.

http://www.mutsengi.com/wp-content/u...g_portrait.jpg

[Zosi]

People saying that the entire region is ignored are pretty blatantly wrong and also missing the point. When they cover *anything* that happens in the area (which is more often than you seem to think, given how old and boring it is), they cover it as Palestinian terrorists attacking innocent Israeli civilians, then the Israeli army blowing up said terrorists in response. Kuya's correct in that stories of Israeli aggression are practically nonexistent, despite it being very much a two-sided battle there.

I should note that this is based mostly on radio and print journalism, because TV news is just pathetic, particularly for world stuff. Go read one of the major newspapers and you'll see why nobody who actually cares about what's going on in the world sits in front of the TV and watches the endless stream of shitty sound byte-based stories.

[Kuya]

While you could make the argument that Americans in general don't care about the rest of the world most of the time, you can probably predict the decisions of the media in general by answering a simple question: "Can they make a story out of this?" The headlines "violence in Israel" and "violence in Palestine" simply aren't stories at this point. It doesn't even really matter whether it's a suicide bomber, a mortar, or a few guys throwing rocks, because as far as the average American is concerned, it's all the same thing that's been happening for 40 years. You can't expect an American to suddenly care about something that happens every day because now it's slightly different from what happened a week ago. And you definitely can't expect him to care about 400 guys getting killed by rocks when he's already been trying to care about 1000 guys getting killed by explosives for as long as he's been watching the news.

I'm not really talking about whether the average American cares about the Middle East, though you could argue that whatever the average American does not care about, then the US media, responding to this, will not report it. The question is, then, assuming the direction you're coming from. Does the average American care less when it is Israeli extremists perpetrating violence instead of Palestinians extremists or Arabs extremists perpetrating them? That is, assuming the relationship between the media reporting what Americans care, do not care about, or care less about when compared to something else.

[Shuvo]

Best unbiased coverage I can find of international news is seriously in Colbert Report's "Unamerican News" section lol.

[Zalius]

beep borp zam clam

[scrockstar]

I think the real reason why the US and US media takes a very pro Israel stance is because the US is still very much a "Christian Nation". Not in the sense that everyone goes to church and prays everyday but that most Americans still hold traditional Christian values and worldview even if they don't realize it. This means that Israel has a right to their land because God gave it to them and everyone else in the area needs to gtfo or be branded enemies of God. Any action that Israel takes is in "defense of their homeland" and any action Palestine takes is terrorism.

The reason why the US keeps sending Israel military aid is partly because a good majority of the US military leaders are devout Christians or have adopted the military's world view which is based in Christianity. This means that they believe the nation of Israel is protected by God and any nation that attacks Israel will be defeated and any nation that aids Israel will be blessed. On the other side, US government, for the most part, does not hold this worldview and simply views Israel as an important ally in the middle east; so they don't go against this worldview held by many Americans.

[Charla]

Does the average American care less when it is Israeli extremists perpetrating violence instead of Palestinians extremists or Arabs extremists perpetrating them?

I think Americans care less about low-level disorganized violence (civilian vigilantes going after civilians) than they do about more organized violence (like 5 rockets and a truck bomb going off every day). As such, what little attention a given media outlet can justify giving to such an old story will focus on the latter. Occam's razor would therefore suggest that there isn't even a need to bring the issue of bias into it, and that the evident discrepancy we're talking about is a result of the nature of the violence rather than the nature of its perpetrators.

[Sepukku]

I think the real reason why the US and US media takes a very pro Israel stance is because the US is still very much a "Christian Nation". Not in the sense that everyone goes to church and prays everyday but that most Americans still hold traditional Christian values and worldview even if they don't realize it. This means that Israel has a right to their land because God gave it to them and everyone else in the area needs to gtfo or be branded enemies of God. Any action that Israel takes is in "defense of their homeland" and any action Palestine takes is terrorism.

The reason why the US keeps sending Israel military aid is partly because a good majority of the US military leaders are devout Christians or have adopted the military's world view which is based in Christianity. This means that they believe the nation of Israel is protected by God and any nation that attacks Israel will be defeated and any nation that aids Israel will be blessed. On the other side, US government, for the most part, does not hold this worldview and simply views Israel as an important ally in the middle east; so they don't go against this worldview held by many Americans.

I don't think Israel has this land because God gave it to them. I think Israel has this land because in the late 1940's, it was formed as an area for the jewish community after the Holocaust. lol God doesn't "give land". I don't think most people in the United States think the way you're talking. Not anybody I know...

[Kuya]

I think Americans care less about low-level disorganized violence (civilian vigilantes going after civilians) than they do about more organized violence (like 5 rockets and a truck bomb going off every day). As such, what little attention a given media outlet can justify giving to such an old story will focus on the latter. Occam's razor would therefore suggest that there isn't even a need to bring the issue of bias into it, and that the evident discrepancy we're talking about is a result of the nature of the violence rather than the nature of its perpetrators.

You're probably right about that, and this is probably where i could mention the Greek riots, but as you've already said, that was abnormal, but then that makes me bring up a point when you say "old news". Is Israeli extremists attacking Palestinians civilians and burning their homes old news? You say that, they don't care about the Palestinian/Israeli issue because we've heard it all before, but if i am to understand what i'm hearing correctly, hardly, if not ever, has it been mentioned that some Israelis do this. How is Israelis attacking Palestinians normal when the media hardly ever, if again, ever did, report it?

Can you honestly say that the average American knows that these things go on? Instead of the knee jerk comment that "both sides do wrong", which does not tell you what is happening at all or how it's happening. Somehow, i don't think that saying that every side has extremists is sufficient, because anyone can say that about anything, but it doesn't mean they really know what's going on. Your argument somehow ends up, probably with out intention, saying that there isn't some bias in favour of Israel over any other group of Arabs, something which i don't know if you agree with. Considering the things that have happened in the US, especially during the election, i do believe there is more islamophobia in the US than some phobia about Jews and therefore Israel.

To add, your argument that the factors that make the American public care are both the frequency of the event (normal/abnormal) and the nature of the event (burning down houses/explosions), therefore the reason why they care more about the Greek riots is because it's abnormal therefor frequency over it's nature, and i argue that, there is no difference in frequency or nature with both the Greek riots and these attacks on Palestinians because how would the American public know that it is frequent or not when it is hardly ever reported. Your only other argument would likely be that just by putting the word Middle East next to it, it's also suddenly less important because it is assumed to be the same old thing.

[Sepukku]

We know both sides are deranged, making claims to the same land for religious reasons, and do shit to each other over it. What they do may change, how much we hear of what one side did versus how much we hear of what the other side did may change, etc etc, but its as simple as this. Crazy religious people doing crazy stuff.

But that doesn't seem to quell you, you seem to be searching for an answer you already know: The American media, and a lot of American people, sympathize and side with the Israelis. OH NO! THE SECRET IS REVEALED! There you have it.

[Correction]

Can you honestly say that the average American knows that these things go on?

It would depend from where geographically you draw your 'Average American' from.

There are plenty of places where it's widely held our future president is a muslim of some kind. There, the 'average american' can't be bothered to comprehend basic geography, let alone the history of the people living outside the united states.

Draw your 'average american' from any college campus and the story changes. From there it's a matter of 'how much do they care?'

[Kuya]

The American media, and a lot of American people, sympathize and side with the Israelis. OH NO! THE SECRET IS REVEALED! There you have it.

If you have not noticed, that's the argument i've been trying to make, but with a few differences. That the fact that the media rarely reports these occurrences, leads false images of what is really happening in the Middle East, so as far as the American people sympathizing with the Israeli side and ignoring whatever injustice Israeli extremists do, that is only reinforced by the lack of information within the occupied territories. I'm well aware of the inherent bias created by numerous factors ranging from there being many political groups in the US that strongly support the Israeli right wing cause to the memory of the Holocaust creating some inherent sympathy for the Jewish people and in association, the Jewish state, but i am also arguing that the media only multiplies this bias and distorts the views of Americans.

[Elvis]

American intellectual culture and the mainstream media are biased in favor of Israel. Ironically the Israeli press (mainly Hareetz) is much more outspoken. As to why we may 'favor' Israel? Obviously, this has many dimensions. You have to look back to the picture of Israel we are presented.

In the international community and amongst groups that document Israel's behavior, the picture is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. It just comes down to peoples' lack of awareness on the issue. When you factor in that Americans have their own problems like their personal lives (job, family, school, etc.) or the economy or the War in Iraq, then you begin to understand that people may simply be to busy as it is. That's just how it is, there's lots of issues in the world to get worked up about.

Plenty of studies have been conducted on this but here's one that deals with things like the fatalities on each side and how they are reported:

Analysis of Coverage of Israel/Palestine in Media

(NYTimes, San Francisco Chronicle, CBS, ABC, NBC, LA Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Wallstreet Journal, AP)

Anyways, this is NOT a religious conflict. There is religious undertones to both sides but it's ultimately about LAND. Most people don't know the history of the conflict and up until 20ish years ago the history books were horribly biased and fraudulently in Israel's favor (ex: Arab generals telling the Palestinians, over the radio, to flee their homes during the 48' War).

Then Israel opened up it's archives. Sort of like when intel in the States become declassified and available to the public. These 'New Historians' rewrote the books so-to-speak.

Anyways, the conflict has never been symmetrical. You can't expect a group of people who live under a military occupation to react non-violently. It may have worked in India but it didn't work in South Africa. It depends on the oppressor and how violent they are. So resistance has to take all forms, non-violent and violent.

The suicide bombing began in 1994 and that's all you'll ever hear about from the MSM. Never mind the fact that Israel - from the beginning of the Second Intifada - kills 10 times as many children and 4.8 times as many civilians. All the abuses are copiously documented by human rights' groups. There is no dispute on what's going on there - apartheid.

Anyways, without getting in to it further, people can just check the mainstream reports conducted by the UN/Amnesty International/Human Rights Watch/Bt'selem/etc. etc. etc.

Read what people like Nelson Mandela or Jimmy Carter or Desmond Tutu have to say about what Israel is doing.

The only counter-argument I see on the issue of disparity in violence (disproportionately against the Palestinians) is that Israel has "the right to defend itself." All the same garbage.

[Elvis]

I don't think Israel has this land because God gave it to them. I think Israel has this land because in the late 1940's, it was formed as an area for the jewish community after the Holocaust. lol God doesn't "give land". I don't think most people in the United States think the way you're talking. Not anybody I know...

I don't know what that's supposed to mean.

This is the equivalent of people thinking terrorists bombed us because they hate freedom and liberty and sunshine.