media review: Hundreds of writers boycott New York Times over Gaza coverage

media review: Hundreds of writers boycott New York Times over Gaza coverage

    Wednesday, October 29, 2025   No comments

As of yesterday Oct. 28, over 150 contributors, and the list is growing, to the New York Times have declared a boycott of its opinion section, accusing the paper of “biased coverage” of Israel’s war on Gaza.

In a joint letter cited by Middle East Eye, the writers said the Times “launders the US and Israel’s lies,” and called for an internal review of anti-Palestinian bias and a US arms embargo on Israel.

“Until the New York Times takes accountability for its biased coverage and commits to truthfully and ethically reporting on the US-Israeli war on Gaza, any putative ‘challenge’… is, in effect, permission to continue this malpractice,” the letter read.

Signatories include Rashida Tlaib, Greta Thunberg, Chelsea Manning, Sally Rooney, Rima Hassan, Elia Suleiman, Viet Thanh Nguyen, and Dave Zirin.

Media Review: The Unseen Legs, The Unheard Cries--Gaza's Children and the Machinery of Denial

Media Review: The Unseen Legs, The Unheard Cries--Gaza's Children and the Machinery of Denial

    Saturday, August 30, 2025   No comments

In the stark calculus of war, the most devastating number is the smallest: the number of meals a child has missed. In Gaza, that number has long since run out. A famine, human-made and entirely preventable, is now stalking the streets and rubble-strewn landscapes. Its primary victims are children. And as they wither away, the state responsible is not just continuing its assault but perfecting a second, insidious attack: a campaign of outright denial so brazen it seeks to gaslight the world.

This reality became impossible to ignore from an unlikely podium. When a figure as staunchly pro-Israel as Donald Trump recently stated that “starvation is happening in Gaza,” it should have been a watershed. Instead, it revealed the intransigence of the Israeli government. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration did not pivot. It did not concede. It doubled down on a fantasy, amplifying debunked claims that emaciated children suffering from acute malnutrition were actually battling pre-existing “medical conditions”—as if a population of infants suddenly developed a collective syndrome that just happens to mimic starvation under a total siege.

This is not a simple disagreement over facts. It is a deliberate strategy. Israeli leaders, grasping for straws to justify the unjustifiable, have outsourced their propaganda to a network of online influencers. Their task is not to report truth, but to manufacture enough doubt to cloud the overwhelming evidence. They scurry through social media, not to witness the horror, but to find snippets they can misrepresent, creating a parallel universe where a famine verified by the entire international community—the UN, the WHO, UNICEF, and every major human rights organization—simply does not exist.

The most chilling example of this moral bankruptcy emerged recently. A heart-shattering image circulated of children on a Gaza beach, their lower bodies horrifically absent. The message was clear: these are the victims of a war machine that, by its own admission, sees “human animals” and does not distinguish between combatant and child.

The Israeli response was not remorse. It was not investigation. It was a sneering, cynical denial. Official channels and their digital foot soldiers claimed the image was fake. They insisted, with a breathtaking lack of humanity, that these children were simply playing, their legs buried happily in the sand—not blown off by a Israeli bomb, drone, or shell.

Let that sink in. Faced with the undeniable visual evidence of a child maimed, the response is to claim they are actually whole, just playing in the surf. It is a metaphor for the entire Israeli approach: if we cannot see their legs, then they were never lost. If we cannot hear their cries, they were never made. If we can cast doubt on their empty stomachs, then they are not hungry.

This level of denial is not just callous—it is dehumanizing. To dismiss starved children as “sick children” and to erase maimed children by claiming their amputations are an illusion demonstrates a chilling absence of humanity. It reveals the desperation of Israeli leaders and their supporters to maintain the fiction that Gaza’s suffering is somehow exaggerated, staged, or self-inflicted.

But the children of Gaza are not invisible. Their skeletal frames are documented by doctors. Their silent cries are recorded by aid workers struggling without supplies. Their deaths from starvation and dehydration are meticulously logged by health officials, even as the infrastructure to do so collapses around them.

This denial is not a passive act. It is a active weapon. By creating a fog of misinformation, Israel seeks to numb the world’s conscience and slow the pressure for a ceasefire and the urgent flood of aid needed. It is a policy of starvation by design, followed by a cover-up by dissemination.

To deny a child food is a profound act of cruelty. To then deny that the starving child exists is a profound act of evil. It shows a total detachment from humanity, a moral vacuum where political survival and ideological rigidity matter more than infant lives.

What is most horrifying is that children—those least responsible for any political conflict—are the first to pay the price. Malnutrition strips them of their strength, their childhood, and too often their lives. Bombings rob them of their limbs, their parents, and their futures. And yet, while human rights organizations sound the alarm, Israel insists on seeing only conspiracies and fabrications.

This denial is not harmless rhetoric. It enables the continuation of policies that inflict unimaginable suffering. It grants cover to those who choose silence or complicity. It numbs the conscience of those who would rather not look too closely at the emaciated faces of Gaza’s children.

The world must not look away. We must not be confused by the digital smokescreen. The facts are clear, and they are spoken in the fragile breaths of starving children and the silent grief of parents burying them. The famine is real. It is killing people. And it is being executed and then denied by a state that has chosen, repeatedly, to sacrifice its humanity on the altar of its own denial. The legs of Gaza's children are not buried in the sand. They are buried under the rubble of their homes, and the even heavier rubble of Israel’s lies.

Media Review: Nationalism, Distrust, and the Specter of Regime Change

Media Review: Nationalism, Distrust, and the Specter of Regime Change

    Wednesday, August 13, 2025   No comments

 

1. Netanyahu’s Overt Call: “Iran for Iranians”

On August 12, 2025, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a striking video address aimed directly at the Iranian people. He urged them to “take to the streets”, “demand justice”, and resist “ruling fanatics” in Tehran. Leveraging Iran’s current water crisis—one described as the worst drought in a century—he promised that “Israel’s top water experts will flood into every Iranian city,” offering cutting-edge recycling and desalination technologies once “your country is free.” Netanyahu framed this not merely as political pressure but as a humanitarian overture, rhetorically intertwining water scarcity with political liberation.
His language tugged at historical symbols—the “descendants of Cyrus the Great”—and invoked Zionist forebears: “as our founding father, Theodor Herzl, said... ‘if you will it, a free Iran is not a dream.’” Critics across the region condemned the message as a blatant interference in Iran’s sovereignty and a call for regime change.

2. Expansionist Imagery and the “Greater Israel” Vision

Simultaneously, in an i24 News interview, Netanyahu responded affirmatively when asked if he felt a connection to the concept of “Greater Israel”—a historical extremist vision stretching from the Nile to the Euphrates, enveloping Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. He stated flatly: "Very much." (Note: the Arabic-language Al Jazeera coverage confirmed condemnation by Jordan’s foreign ministry of these remarks, calling them “dangerous provocative escalation” and a violation of sovereignty and international law).  Jordan officially denounced these statements as “absurd illusions” that undermine Arab states and Palestinian rights, and called for international accountability.

3. Mutually Reinforcing Nationalist Narratives

These developments crystallize a deeper pattern of mutual antagonism: just as many in the Arab and Muslim worlds chant “Death to Israel” (often interpreted as opposition to the Zionist regime, not genocide), Israeli leaders—including Netanyahu—express parallel desires for overthrowing nationalist or Islamist regimes, from Iraq and Syria to Iran and potentially Turkey. Israel’s historical role in the fall of Arab nationalist regimes—the Ba’athists in Iraq and Syria, Nasserism in Egypt, Gaddafi in Libya—sets precedent for its current posture toward Iran, adding layers of distrust and ideological competition.

4. Media Narratives vs. Unspoken Realities

Mainstream coverage often frames Israel’s messaging as defensive—justified by existential threats or humanitarian concern. Yet the explicit linkage between Israel’s offer of technology and regime change reveals a more assertive posture: Israel positioning itself not only as a regional power but as a potential kingmaker.

This dynamic echoes past episodes: British and U.S. support for regime change in Iraq, Libya, and Afghanistan, often under the banner of liberation, but frequently yielding destabilization. Indeed, analysts warn that regime elimination without a constructive transition plan can exacerbate chaos and strengthen hardliners—concerns now surging around Iran.

5. Broader Implications: Ethno-Religious Nationalism and Regional Instability

The mutual calls for regime change are not isolated acts of political posturing — they are rooted in competing nationalist visions that draw their legitimacy from deeply embedded historical, ethnic, and religious narratives. This clash produces a dangerous self-reinforcing cycle that shapes nearly every major crisis in the Middle East.

Israel’s vision:

Israeli statecraft, particularly under Netanyahu, increasingly draws on biblical and historicist narratives to justify a posture of permanent expansion and dominance. This is not merely about securing existing borders; it’s about positioning Israel as the central civilizational power in the region. The appeal to “Greater Israel” ties modern foreign policy directly to ancient territorial claims, allowing nationalist leaders to frame strategic moves as fulfilling a sacred mission rather than a negotiable political agenda. In this worldview, offering water technology to Iranians is not only a humanitarian gesture but also a demonstration of how Israel imagines itself — as a benevolent hegemon to “liberated” peoples, once they accept the dismantling of regimes seen as hostile.

Resistance’s response:

Arab nationalist and Islamist movements see this Israeli narrative as an existential threat — not only to Palestinian sovereignty but to the very idea of Arab or Islamic self-determination. From their perspective, the vision of “Greater Israel” confirms suspicions that Israel’s security discourse masks territorial ambitions stretching across multiple states. This perception reinforces a siege mentality, where even minor concessions to Israel are framed as steps toward regional capitulation. Consequently, slogans like “Death to Israel” — while often clarified by their authors as a rejection of the Zionist regime rather than the Jewish people — are received by Israelis as genocidal, deepening the emotional and political chasm.

Mutual demonization:

Each side interprets the other’s rhetoric in its most maximalist and threatening form. Israeli leaders often portray their regional adversaries as irredeemable aggressors whose regimes must be toppled for peace to be possible. Conversely, Arab and Islamist nationalists cast Israeli policy as inherently expansionist, immune to compromise, and bent on cultural erasure. This mutual framing leaves no space for recognizing reformist or moderate currents on either side. Internal dissent within Iran, for example, is subsumed under the binary of “pro-regime” or “agent of foreign powers,” while dissent within Israel against expansionism is marginalized as naïve or disloyal.

Media as a force multiplier:

Regional and global media ecosystems amplify these narratives by privileging official statements and the most provocative soundbites. Nuanced or dissenting voices rarely receive the same coverage. This selective amplification means that both publics primarily hear confirmation of their worst fears. Israeli audiences see chants and missile parades without context; Arab audiences see maps of an expanded Israel without the debates inside Israel over their feasibility or morality. In effect, media serves as a mirror that reflects back the most polarizing version of reality, hardening nationalist sentiment and making diplomatic de-escalation politically costly for any leader.

The result is a feedback loop: nationalist rhetoric begets reciprocal hostility, which then justifies the next round of escalation. Over time, this pattern entrenches zero-sum thinking, where any gain for one side is assumed to be an irreversible loss for the other.

6. What Comes Next?

With Israel openly signaling support for regime change, and invoking ideological justifications, the region edges closer to escalatory brinkmanship. If Iran responds—either through intensified repression or reprisals—the potential for conflict could spiral. Global actors—especially the U.S., Europe, Russia, and regional powers—must urgently clarify whether they support such overt regime-change diplomacy or seek de-escalation through dialogue and multilateral engagement.

The events of August 12, 2025—Netanyahu’s video appeal and the embrace of “Greater Israel”—are not isolated flashes of rhetoric but crystallize long-standing ideological and geopolitical fault lines. The language of liberation and water aid interwoven with conquest and regime overthrow exemplifies the complex, dangerous entanglement of ethno-religious nationalism, realpolitik, and regional power plays. As each side frames itself as the rightful architect of the region’s future, the real victims may be stability, human rights, and any hope for equitable governance.

Israel’s prime minister’s call for Iranians to overthrow their government mirrors Iran’s rejection of the “Zionist regime,” underscoring two points: first, the deep incompatibility between race-based or religion-based nationalism and genuinely pluralistic societies; second, the role of supremacist ideologies as a driving force behind such nationalist regimes. Zionism—with both its religious dimension (membership in the Jewish faith) and its ethnic dimension (Jewish identity as race or ethnicity)—and Arab or Persian ethnic nationalism, alongside Islamism as a religious form, are locked in a clash that cannot be resolved by one prevailing over the others, but perhaps only by the eventual failure of them all.

  

Media Review: UK Media and the Gaza Genocide--Legal Implications of Editorial Complicity

Media Review: UK Media and the Gaza Genocide--Legal Implications of Editorial Complicity

    Friday, March 14, 2025   No comments

The revelation that top UK media editors held private meetings with former Israeli military chief General Aviv Kohavi amid Israel’s military campaign in Gaza raises profound ethical and legal concerns. As reported by Declassified UK, these meetings took place in November 2023, after Israeli forces had already killed over 10,000 Palestinians. Given the documented intent of Israeli officials and military leaders to commit acts that meet the legal definition of genocide, the media's engagement with Kohavi in this manner raises serious questions about complicity.

The Genocide Convention (1948) and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (1998) define genocide as acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group. Complicity in genocide, under international law, includes aiding and abetting such acts through direct assistance, incitement, or failure to prevent and expose the crime.

Given that Kohavi had previously justified the killing of journalists and attacks on civilian infrastructure, his influence over UK media executives raises concerns about whether these news organizations played a role in shaping public perception in ways that could shield Israel from accountability.

Historically, media institutions have been held accountable for their role in enabling crimes against humanity. The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) set a precedent in Prosecutor v. Nahimana, Barayagwiza, and Ngeze (2003), where media executives were convicted for inciting genocide through biased reporting and propaganda. While UK media organizations may not have directly incited violence, their editorial choices—such as suppressing critical perspectives on Israeli war crimes or echoing Israeli military narratives—could be scrutinized under similar legal reasoning.

Declassified UK reports that BBC News online’s Middle East editor, Raffi Berg, has been accused of manipulating coverage to favor Israel. Similarly, internal documents from The Guardian allegedly show systematic amplification of Israeli government propaganda. These revelations suggest that UK media institutions may have contributed to the suppression of factual reporting on war crimes in Gaza.

Furthermore, the absence of equivalent meetings with Palestinian representatives raises further concerns about bias. By selectively engaging with Israeli officials while disregarding Palestinian voices, UK media institutions may have played a role in legitimizing Israel’s military actions, which have been widely condemned as potential war crimes.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) and other legal bodies have jurisdiction over crimes of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. If it is demonstrated that UK media organizations systematically downplayed or whitewashed evidence of genocidal intent and actions, their senior figures could, in theory, be investigated for complicity.

Additionally, under UK domestic law, complicity in war crimes may fall under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows courts to prosecute individuals who are linked to international crimes, regardless of where they occurred. The precedent set by previous war crimes trials suggests that media executives could face legal scrutiny if their actions are deemed to have materially aided a genocidal campaign.

The secret meetings between UK media leaders and General Kohavi amid the Gaza war raise serious ethical and legal concerns. If it is found that UK media outlets systematically enabled Israeli narratives while suppressing Palestinian perspectives, there may be grounds for legal accountability under international law.

At the very least, these revelations underscore the urgent need for greater transparency in media operations and the imperative to uphold journalistic integrity in conflict reporting. Moving forward, media organizations must be held to higher standards to ensure that they do not, knowingly or unknowingly, contribute to crimes of mass atrocity.

Biden makes statement on the anniversary of killing of Palestinian American boy, stabbing of mother

Biden makes statement on the anniversary of killing of Palestinian American boy, stabbing of mother

    Tuesday, October 15, 2024   No comments

US President Joe Biden commemorated the one year anniversary of what he called a "heinous" fatal assault on a Palestinian American mother and son that left the 6-year-old dead. 

Biden said he and first lady Jill Biden "continue to think" about Wadea Al-Fayoume, 6, and his mother, Hanaan Shahin, saying they are "grateful for Hanan’s recovery and her powerful voice for peace." He further hailed Wadea as "a bright and cheerful American Muslim boy of Palestinian descent."

"On this day, let us all take steps that honor Wadee’s memory and reaffirm together that there is no place for hate in America, including hatred of Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims. We can all reject hatred and expose misinformation and disinformation that is cynically aimed at turning us against one another," he added.

Al-Fayoume was fatally stabbed 26 times at his Plainfield, Illinois, apartment with his mother, Hanaan Shahin, on Oct. 14, 2023. Shahin was critically injured after being stabbed more than a dozen times. The killing of the child and the attempted killing on the mother came just days after President Biden amplified a false claim that Hamas beheaded 40 babies, a fake story that still repeated by US officials including US senators and House leaders.

Media review: "The biggest problem with Western media is more in what they don't show than in what they do show"

Media review: "The biggest problem with Western media is more in what they don't show than in what they do show"

    Friday, October 11, 2024   No comments

The true face of Israel's war on Gaza is hidden from Western public opinion through the Western media’s ignoring of Israel's attacks and war crimes, according to a US journalist.

Max Blumenthal, editor-in-chief of the independent news website The Grayzone, spoke to Anadolu at a conference in Istanbul, Türkiye about his views on how Western media portrays Israel's attacks on Gaza and the role of the US in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“On Oct. 7, the Western media did not show the losses that the Israeli military took at the hands of Hamas and other factions in Gaza. They focused exclusively on civilians being kidnapped and then began with not just the killings that took place of civilians on Oct. 7, which were real and documented, but fabricating atrocities about beheaded babies and babies burned in ovens, and so on, in order to create leverage and political space for Israel to totally destroy Gaza,” said Blumenthal... > source article ...