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Days of Palestine
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Days of Palestine
Experts Say Western Media Is Enabling Gaza Genocide and Rewriting History
As Israel's war on Gaza continues to expand across the region, media analysts, historians, and human rights advocates are sounding the alarm over how Western media outlets are shaping global perception—and potentially helping erase evidence of what they describe as genocide. At a powerful panel hosted by the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) in London, speakers accused mainstream Western news organisations of minimising, distorting, or outright denying the scale of atrocities in Gaza. They warned that this could have devastating consequences for historical truth and future accountability. 'This isn't just a media failure—it's a war on memory,' said Dr. Omar al-Ghazzi, an associate professor at the London School of Economics. 'How this war is covered now will become the history future generations inherit.' Systematic Media Bias New findings from the Centre for Media Monitoring (CFMM) highlighted widespread editorial patterns that soften or sideline Palestinian suffering. Media analyst Faisal Hanif said the BBC alone removed references to genocide in Gaza over 100 times in the past year. The use of emotionally charged words also revealed a double standard. The term 'massacre,' for instance, was found to be used 18 times more when describing Hamas attacks than Israeli attacks, even when Palestinian death tolls were far higher. 'That's not accidental,' said Hanif. 'It reflects a systemic bias and an uncritical acceptance of Israeli government narratives, especially those targeting Palestinian journalists.' Palestinian Voices Dismissed or Put 'On Trial' Rachel Shabi, a British-Israeli journalist, aimed at international media outlets to echo Israel's justification for banning foreign reporters from Gaza under the pretext of 'safety.' Meanwhile, she said, Palestinian journalists are often smeared as Hamas sympathisers. 'They [Western media] fall into the trap without calling it out,' Shabi said. 'And even when Palestinian voices are included, their grief and testimony are often discredited—as if they're unreliable narrators of their own trauma.' Genocide Denial in Real Time Prominent historian Avi Shlaim called Israel's media strategy a form of aggressive propaganda that suppresses criticism by labelling it antisemitic. Professor Martin Shaw, a leading genocide scholar, said the world is witnessing a form of 'implicatory denial'—a chilling concept where atrocities are acknowledged but not acted upon. 'The media is starting to shift, but still lags behind the reality on the ground,' Shaw warned. 'Even when there's recognition of genocide, we're not seeing any meaningful action to stop it.' He added that the era of Western-led 'humanitarian intervention' is over: 'Today, the powerful do what they want—and they don't even bother dressing it up.' Media as a Tool of Geopolitics Wadah Khanfar, former Director General of Al Jazeera, connected the media narrative to broader Western geopolitical agendas. He accused Western powers of using the war to reshape the Middle East while silencing Arab perspectives in the process. 'This is about more than Gaza. It's about designing a future for the region without the people who live in it,' Khanfar said. He specifically criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling him 'arrogant' for believing he can dictate the future unilaterally. Khanfar warned that unchecked Israeli impunity, especially with recent airstrikes on Iran, could ignite wider instability and possibly push the region towards nuclear brinkmanship. 'We are being dragged into a new dark age,' he said. Cracks Within Israel Adding a rare internal perspective, Daniel Levy, a former Israeli peace negotiator, questioned whether Israel's strategy is sustainable at all. 'Is this the third Jewish kingdom?' he asked, implying that Israel could be repeating cycles of overreach and collapse seen in ancient times. Levy noted growing disillusionment inside Israel itself, with more reservists refusing to report for duty and doubts rising even among staunch supporters. 'More and more Israelis are starting to see these endless wars as leading the country toward a place of no return.' International Law: Powerful in Theory, Weak in Practice Tayab Ali, director of the ICJP, said the failure to apply international legal frameworks consistently is feeding Israel's sense of impunity. 'The legal systems are excellent in theory—but they're selectively applied in practice,' he said. 'And that reinforces Israel's belief that its actions, no matter how extreme, will be shielded.' Levy also rejected Western narratives suggesting peace will follow Iran's elimination, calling such thinking 'legally flawed and strategically naïve.' A Moment of Reckoning As the war drags on, one thing became clear in the panel's final message: this is not just a humanitarian crisis—it's a crisis of truth, memory, and justice. And if the media fails to uphold its duty, future generations may never know what really happened. Shortlink for this post:
Middle East Eye
29-06-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Western media enabling Gaza genocide and rewriting history, say experts
As Israel's war on Gaza intensifies and expands across the Middle East, media analysts and human rights advocates are raising concerns over the lack of international accountability and the role of Western news outlets in shaping public perception of the conflict. At a panel hosted by the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) in London on Saturday, experts accused mainstream Western media of contributing to the denial and distortion of atrocities unfolding in Gaza. The Centre for Media Monitoring (CFMM) presented findings highlighting how often leading media organisations downplay or dismiss claims of genocide. Faisal Hanif, a media analyst at CFMM, said the BBC had shut down references to genocide in its Gaza coverage more than 100 times over the past year. Omar al-Ghazzi, Associate Professor of Media and Communications at the London School of Economics, called the trend 'a war on history.' He warned that the use of media narratives as future historical sources could shape how upcoming generations understand the events in Gaza. The panel also pointed to specific language patterns in coverage. Hanif noted that the term 'massacre' appeared 18 times more often when referring to Hamas attacks than to Israeli attacks on Palestinians. He said this imbalance reflected a wider rhetorical bias and an uncritical acceptance of Israeli government claims—particularly those targeting local journalists in Gaza. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters British-Israeli journalist Rachel Shabi said Israel has consistently framed its ban on international reporters entering Gaza as a safety measure, while accusing Palestinian journalists of links to Hamas. She criticised international media outlets for accepting these narratives without challenge. 'Israeli society has taken a genocidal turn,' says Daniel Levy. Speaking at the Genocide in Gaza conference in London, he warns that Israel's war on Gaza marks a new phase of settler colonial overreach, backed by Western complicity. — Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) June 29, 2025 'They fall for the trap without calling it out,' Shabi told the audience. She added that even when Palestinian voices are included, their suffering is often discredited or doubted. 'The media has not only excluded Palestinian voices conveyed through local journalists' reports, but, at times when it has included them, it has effectively put Palestinian victims 'on trial,' portraying them as unreliable narrators of their own stories and suffering.' 'A new dark age' Historian Avi Shlaim described Israel's media strategy as an aggressive propaganda campaign designed to suppress criticism by labelling opponents as antisemitic. Professor Martin Shaw, a leading scholar on war and genocide, said such tactics amounted to a third form of genocide denial—'implicatory denial'—where actors acknowledge atrocities but take no meaningful action. 'The media is starting to shift, but it still lags behind the reality,' Shaw said. 'Even when governments and media recognise genocide is taking place in Gaza, they don't act to stop it.' He argued that the era of rhetorical devices such as 'responsibility to protect' and 'humanitarian intervention' had ended. 'The powerful do what they want without dressing it up,' he added. Al-Ghazzi agreed, saying the West continues to control language and historical narrative, positioning itself as the sole 'moral arbitrator.' Speaking to Middle East Eye at the panel 'Genocide in Gaza, War on Iran: What's Next for Palestine?' part of the Genocide in Gaza conference organised by the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) in London, Wadah Khanfar, founder and executive director of the… — Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) June 29, 2025 The panel also connected media complicity to broader geopolitical ambitions. Wadah Khanfar, president of Al-Sharq Forum and former director general of Al Jazeera, said the West remains determined to engineer a 'new Middle East' and marginalise Arab voices in shaping the region's future. He singled out Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling him 'truly arrogant' for believing he can design that future alone. The panel agreed that Israel's impunity could further destabilise the region. Khanfar warned that the ongoing war may plunge the world into 'a new dark age.' He cited Israel's strikes on Iran as an example of escalating risk, arguing they push the Middle East towards either a nuclear-free zone or widespread nuclear deterrence. Broad disillusionment in Israel Daniel Levy, a former Israeli peace negotiator, questioned the viability of Israel's long-term strategy, suggesting it may be driving the country toward collapse. 'Is this the third Jewish kingdom?' he asked. Channel 4 to show Gaza war crimes documentary rejected by BBC Read More » Speakers warned that Israel's actions were eroding the foundations of the international legal system. Tayab Ali, director of the ICJP, said international legal frameworks remain 'excellent in theory' but are selectively applied in practice. 'This selectivity reinforces Israel's belief that its rights will be protected—even in the face of violations targeting Palestinians,' Ali said. Levy criticised the Western defence narrative that assumes peace will follow Iran's elimination, calling it legally flawed and strategically naive. Ali added that Israel's strikes on Iran violate international law under the principle of self-defence. He said growing public scepticism—even within Israel—shows that official justifications for military actions are becoming harder to sustain. Levy pointed to a rising reluctance among Israelis to report for military reserve duty. 'There's a broader disillusionment,' he said. 'More and more Israelis see these campaigns as leading the country toward a place of no return.'
