Israel's Media Problems

Pro-Israel friends often ask me why the media is so "biased" against Israel. My response is usually that Israel does such an inadequate job of advocating its case to the world that really, who could blame the media? In most situations, Israel allows the terms of the debate to be framed in such a manner that it's almost impossible to logically lead to a pro-Israel viewpoint.

The pathetic and wrong-headed Israeli response to a recent resolution passed by the Human Rights Commission is a perfect example of this. That resolution "demands the lifting of the blockade on Gaza and calls for international action to protect Palestinian civilians."

Instead of defending its blockade as a legitimate weapon of war against a terror gang hell-bent on its destruction, Israel "was busy lobbying UNSC member countries to amend the draft presidential statement to include condemnation of Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel, which the original neglects to mention."

So in effect, what we have is one side saying "Israel is taking illegal, illegitimate actions," and the other side, rather than defending the actions it is taking, meekly responds "you must condemn both sides." This is almost always the Israeli response to UN resolutions -- yeah, we may have done something wrong, but condemn both sides, please. Is it any wonder that so many people come out of such a discussion with an anti-Israel viewpoint?

Hamas and its fellow terror gangs have been firing rockets into Israel from Gaza for years. They established full control over Gaza earlier this year and have said on numerous occasions that they will continue their attacks in one form or another until Israel is destroyed. This is war. And the effects of that war have been felt dramatically in Sderot, which even apart from physical casualties, has been completely crippled economically (though both the media and the UN have largely ignored THAT humanitarian crisis).

Israel is in a war right now, and a blockade has always been accepted as a legitimate way of fighting a war -- cutting off the enemy's access to resources and supplies until he agrees to stop fighting -- even if civilians suffer the effects. One of the primary weapons the Union used against the Confederacy during the Civil War was a blockade, and Confederate cities were often besieged and cut off until they surrendered. I daresay that the residents of Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1863 would probably scoff at the fabricated "humanitarian crisis" that Gaza purports to face today.

But nothing like that ever comes out of the mouths of Israeli diplomats.