Author:
Publication: HonestReporting Communique
Date: June 4, 2004
Dear HonestReporting Subscriber,
Israeli anti-terror efforts function
through a two-stage process: In stage one, the IDF acts -- e.g. entering
Jenin, building the security fence, or targeting Gaza terrorist cells.
In stage two, the terrorism abates -- enabling Israelis to proceed with
normal civilian life, fostering positive reform among Palestinians, and
creating a broader hope for reconciliation.
Though this two-stage pattern characterizes
the recent history of this conflict, Western media focus almost exclusively
upon the dramatic and painful first stage, ignoring its fruits in stage
two. Here are some recent examples of 'stage two' that you most likely
didn't hear about:
-- ISRAEL IS BECOMING SAFER --
An Israeli official from the northern
Gilboa region relates:
"Instead of 600 terrorist incidents
per year around here, in the last five months we've had zero. Tens of thousands
of illegal Palestinian workers would cross through here every year; in
the past five months, you've got it, zero. And guess what? Theft is way
down too." (http://tinyurl.com/ysmww)
This fine chart from Josh Harvey
(http://tinyurl.com/2srnr) indicates how increased IDF pressure thwarts
the great majority of Palestinian suicide-terror attacks. The army's tireless
efforts have paid clear dividends in reducing terrorism.
And an article in the Telegraph,
'Has Israel Beaten the Suicide Bombers?' relates that
"It is three months since the last
serious terrorist attack. The army says there were 25 such attacks in 2002,
which killed 147 people. Last year there were 20, killing 141. So far this
year there have been only two, in which 19 died. The Israelis are starting
to believe that their tactics are working. Palestinian groups fighting
them tend to agree." (http://tinyurl.com/3h3tn)
-- PALESTINIANS ARE REJECTING THE
TERRORISTS --
In the West Bank Palestinian town
of Tulkarm, where once "the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades would have been swaggering
through the streets...with their AK-47s, inspiring admiration in some residents,
terrorizing others, and plotting what they call 'military operations' against
nearby Jewish settlements or Israeli cities...the armed men are not walking
around anymore, certainly not in broad daylight. The few of them left after
the army's frequent raids are said to be feeling hunted and alone. Many
in the town are already declaring Tulkarm's intifada over.
"Residents of Tulkarm are no longer
willing to provide refuge for the armed men in their houses, local sources
say, for fear of ending up on the army's demolition list." (via Jerusalem
Report: http://jrep.com/Palaffairs/Article-0.html)
-- ARABS ARE FED UP WITH ARAFAT
--
Yassir Arafat, whose removal from
power is a cornerstone of the Quartet's 'road map' to peace, is under pressure
from within:
"The growing dissatisfaction within
the Palestinian population over the rampant corruption and incompetence
of the PA has infiltrated its security services, some of which have begun
to mutiny..." (http://tinyurl.com/3bb8a)
And also from without:
"Egyptian Intelligence Chief Omar
Suleiman, who visited Ramallah last week, warned Arafat to relax his grip
on the reins of power or face the possibility that Egypt and the US will
cease to block Sharon from carrying out his threat to 'remove' him." (Al-Quds
Al-Arabi, via Jerusalem Post: http://tinyurl.com/2479l)
A survey of the major media shows
a conspicuous absence of articles that convey these positive outcomes of
Israeli anti-terror actions. Media outlets, therefore, are presenting a
skewed and partial picture: 'Israeli aggression, Palestinian suffering',
end of story.
Moreover, while Israel is in the
midst of a 'stage one' action -- i.e. the current IDF search for smuggling
tunnels in Gaza -- the media have been focusing almost exclusively on the
immediate damage, without adding important context of how similar actions
have yielded positive results. This is part of a larger problem of news
stories framing IDF actions in a narrow context, with the terrorism that
necessitated them also downplayed.
HonestReporting encourages subscribers
to contact your local editors, calling on them to publish the rest of the
story -- the positive outcome of IDF actions, and why they are needed in
the first place.
Thank you for your ongoing involvement
in the battle against media bias.
HonestReporting
