Gaza: Israeli/Palestinian Conflicts
I know this is a complex subject. I understand that it can be one that is hard to discuss.
Recently I learned that a Palestinian Astrophysicist studying/teaching in America lost his son during Israeli air strikes on Hamas.
Democracy Now's Amy Goodman interviewed Suleiman Baraka, a post-doctoral associate at Virginia Tech working at the National Institute of Aerospace for NASA about losing his son:
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/1/16/palestinian_father_in_us_reco...
When this war was happening I kept watching the corporate media (Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, etc) and most of what I saw were people blinding defending Israel and excusing the bloodshed.
Of course it is important to note that Hamas was using civilians as shields, but that does not do away with the fact that Israel killed around 700 civilians (as was reported by Democracy Now).
The corporate / mainstream media as well as many Americans champion Israel's assault on Hamas, but the real story is of the innocent civilians who were killed in the crossfire.
I feel for the Palestinians because they are a nationless state. They deal with occupation. They do not have an official army. By contrast Israel has an army. They have tanks, missiles, and nukes. Of course I also feel for innocent Israeli's who are also killed through horrific acts of violence and terrorism.
I hate that in America it is so unpopular to even question or criticize Israel. The corporate media when it comes to Israel is littered with pro-Israel propaganda, and its not just Fox News.
It's not popular to point out, to show, or to discuss the numerous innocent civilians -men, women, and children who have lost their lives due to violent Israeli force.
I admit I'm about as anti-war as it gets, but I just wish the voices of peace would be louder and would be "out there" more. I know they are there, but to find peace activists on news programs you have to look to independent media.
Our voices just seem silenced or re-directed. You have to look harder for voices of peace than voices that excuse, justify, and condone war.
Recently I learned that a Palestinian Astrophysicist studying/teaching in America lost his son during Israeli air strikes on Hamas.
Democracy Now's Amy Goodman interviewed Suleiman Baraka, a post-doctoral associate at Virginia Tech working at the National Institute of Aerospace for NASA about losing his son:
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/1/16/palestinian_father_in_us_reco...
When this war was happening I kept watching the corporate media (Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, etc) and most of what I saw were people blinding defending Israel and excusing the bloodshed.
Of course it is important to note that Hamas was using civilians as shields, but that does not do away with the fact that Israel killed around 700 civilians (as was reported by Democracy Now).
The corporate / mainstream media as well as many Americans champion Israel's assault on Hamas, but the real story is of the innocent civilians who were killed in the crossfire.
I feel for the Palestinians because they are a nationless state. They deal with occupation. They do not have an official army. By contrast Israel has an army. They have tanks, missiles, and nukes. Of course I also feel for innocent Israeli's who are also killed through horrific acts of violence and terrorism.
I hate that in America it is so unpopular to even question or criticize Israel. The corporate media when it comes to Israel is littered with pro-Israel propaganda, and its not just Fox News.
It's not popular to point out, to show, or to discuss the numerous innocent civilians -men, women, and children who have lost their lives due to violent Israeli force.
I admit I'm about as anti-war as it gets, but I just wish the voices of peace would be louder and would be "out there" more. I know they are there, but to find peace activists on news programs you have to look to independent media.
Our voices just seem silenced or re-directed. You have to look harder for voices of peace than voices that excuse, justify, and condone war.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by dlw on -
perhaps, the answer is to consider backpedaling our own direct involvement in the above mess and focus on fostering peace thru reforming our own flawed political system with the hope that this will spill over into increasing the sort of soft-power that is currently causing the communist gov't of the People's Republic of China to quake in t....
dlw
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