Eden Atias, a newly recruited Israeli soldier, was stabbed to death by a Palestinian youth yesterday, Wednesday November 13th. He was sleeping on a bus near Afula when he was attacked. You may very well have heard of this already, but what of the rest of the world? If you check some of the most influential news sources out there in the English speaking world, you won’t hear much about this news. If it had been a Palestinian youth that were to have been injured or arrested by Israel, then it would be far more likely that the world’s big media stars would have sprung into action.
This story is cast aside by numerous media outlets, and with it, so too is Palestinian responsibility in the conflict. If this story, which encapsulates one of the core problems in this conflict—Palestinian incitement—is buried, while news of Israeli settlement construction reaps the headlines, then there can be no serious discussion on the conflict.
CNN offers a few lines about the attack in cut and dry terms if you look for it. The BBC describes the attack, before immediately changing the topic back to the usual—settlement construction. The Telegraph fails to report the attack, but offers instead a main headline “Israeli Move Over Housing Poses a Threat to Peace Talks.” On the front page of the Washington Post, it reads, “A year after fighting rocket war, Gaza holds its fire,” and yet no matter how much I dug, I found no mention of the soldier’s murder. The Huffington Post highlights settlements, and offers no mention of the attack either. Both Time and LA Times are silent too at the tragic, horrific murder of an Israeli at the hands of a radicalized Palestinian youth.
When British soldier Drummer Lee Rigby was murdered in the street of London, the media scrutinized the attack—as they should have. Now the media is falling silent on this despicable murder, whilst putting the spotlight obsessively on Israeli settlements. One is left to wonder how the construction of homes could possibly consistently overshadow news of Palestinian attacks on Israelis. A recent Pew poll found that over 60% of Muslim Palestinians support suicide bombings. Only when Palestinian leaders stop teaching hate will there be peace—and that needs to be in the headlines.
Contributed by CAMERA Intern Ariella Charny
