Editor:
Ever since Oct.7, 2023 this country (and around the world) has seen a strong upsurge in antisemitism. Much of this originates with right-wing white supremacists and the left Muslim pro-Palestinian sectors. But a large contingent also comes from average Americans who are convinced that the Israel Defense Forces are committing genocide, utilizing starvation as a weapon, and targeting women and children in Gaza. This results in large part from biased reporting and misinformation propagated by the media, whether intentionally or innocently due to using sources affiliated with or sympathetic to Hamas.
Whatever the source or intention, it is negatively impacting how average Americans, traditionally strong supporters of Israel, view Israel’s war tactics and motivating them to sympathize with Palestinians. This, in turn, not only diminishes Israel’s support for continuing the war effort and protecting its tenuous existence, but also exposes domestic Jews to verbal abuse and even violence. Organizations such as CAMERA and HonestReporting have called out bias and incomplete coverage. So, what for our small community to do?
If you’ve kept up with the coverage in The Virginian-Pilot, you can’t help but notice that they use reports from the Associated Press, which has problems of its own. The AP has been accused of employing Hamas operatives as “reporters” and slanted journalism. And, as has been shown in the past, journalists operating in Gaza are “expected” to report in a supportive manner, otherwise they are shown the door or, worse, the point of a gun.
Examples include:
1) Casualty numbers reported daily as given despite many experts concluding that the tallies don’t add up and Hamas has a history of distorting the facts to suit their purposes.
2) Using “witnesses” as reliable sources.
3) “Without providing evidence” always accompanying Israel’s claims, never Palestinian contentions.
4) Sensationalist headlines and pictures, particularly of “starving children” who then turn out to have pre-existing diseases. There never is a retraction once the truth comes out.
5) Reporting anti-Netanyahu demonstrations while ignoring pro-Netanyahu ones.
6) Putting the responsibility of feeding Gazans and their misery on Israel rather than Hamas.
7) Misrepresenting international law.
8) Referring to traditionally anti-Israel NGOs as “humanitarian organizations.”
9) Quoting the UN without adding that they have been accused of anti-Israel bias for decades.
10) Selection of words – Israel “seizes” control of Gaza rather than “takes” control. West Bank “resistance” rather than “terrorism.”
11) Emphasizing Israel’s attacks on hospitals, schools, refugee camps despite proof that Hamas is operating there. It’s always “Israel military claims, despite not supplying evidence.”
12 Excessive use of quotation marks to describe Israel claims, never Hamas claims, as if to signify that Israel’s allegations cannot be serious or believed.
13) Hamas’ cross border raid always described as an “attack.” Terms massacre, burn, behead, rape, stab never used.
14) Stories that turn out to be misleading or false never result in a retraction.
We, as a Jewish community, need to address this problem. Every day that goes by without presenting our concerns to the newspaper results in more Hampton Roads residents convinced that Israel is a pariah state and local Jews are evil for supporting it. Action should be initiated sooner rather than later.
Sheldon Fineman
Virginia Beach
Letters to the editor reflect the opinions of the writers, not of Jewish News or United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.