Mehdi Hasan: How U.S. media fails on Israel-Palestine coverage

Journalist Mehdi Hasan says the lack of Palestinian voices in U.S. media is one of the biggest problems with coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

[james]

“We don’t let people speak..and that leads to dehumanization.” I agree Mehdi. It’s a great point.

[sxt]

I’m a Black American woman and I can honestly say that a lot of people are just so focused on themselves that they don’t care what’s happening overseas. Most Americans don’t know any Palestinian people personally, so it’s not something that feels like an immediate threat to them. Hell, most people in this country sincerely didn’t believe Black people’s cries about police brutality until George Floyd, even though there had been photographic/video evidence of these sorts of cases for decades. The only thing that will motivate older generations to do something is if they find out how much of their tax money is going towards Israel instead of being invested in social programs they would enjoy. It’s sad but it’s true.

[exercisethemind]

Stop settlements.
Stop apartheid.
Stop forcible transfer.
Stop ethnic-cleansing.
Stop collective punishment.
Stop genocide.
Free Palestine!

[louisanow]

Mehdi Hasan should still have his own show. Glad to see him here, and I hope to hear more from him soon.

[TheHuxleyAgnostic]

Likud's bloody 100 year history ...

In 1923, 100 years ago, Ze'ev Jabotinsky wrote, The Iron Wall, and a follow up, The Ethics of The Iron Wall (sooo racist towards Africans), in which he fully acknowledged that post Balfour Zionsim was colonialism, and that, based on the entirety of history, the native Palestinian population would resist being colonized until the bitter end. He directly compared it to the colonization of North America. He promoted doing it anyway, claiming Zionist colonialism was a "just" colonialism (he also thought North American colonialists were good guys, so not a great judge of morality), not caring what that meant for the native population.

Ze'ev is important, because his Betar militant youth group helped found the Irgun terrorist group, along with other supporters of his, and the splinter Lehi terrorist group. The Irgun bombed numerous Palestinian markets and other public places, murdering many Palestinian civilians, including children, even including Palestinian Jews (who didn't support colonialist Zionsim).

The Irgun are important, because they ended up being led by future Likud PM, Menachem Begin, who bombed the King David Hotel. The King David Hotel was bombed because the British had raided the Jewish Agency and seized numerous documents that may have shown that the terrorists were working with the JA and Haganah (JA liked to pretend that they didn't support the terrorism). The British then stored those documents at their base, in the hotel. That the Irgun terrorists responded to a JA raid, itself seems to prove the connection. That the thousands of Irgun (and Lehi) terrorists were also quickly merged into the new nation's military (IDF) and intelligence (Mossad) agencies, and are still celebrated as "heroes" by Israelis, to this day, also seems to support total collaboration between the groups.

That other terrorist group mentioned, Lehi (also known as the Stern Gang), was considered even more extreme. They even tried to ally with the Nazis, against the British. Lehi ended up being led by Yitzhak Shamir, future Mossad agent, and another future Likud PM. They assassinated Lord Moyne, and others.

In 1945, there was a major land and peoples survey done in Palestine. It showed that the Zionists only owned about 5% of the total land, 20% of the arable land, and owned a majority in zero districts. The partition was not only going to be forced on the native Palestinian majority, but Jews were still going to be a minority, in the part allocated to them. The only possible way to even become a "Jewish state" was going to require getting rid of the actual majority (at least enough so that there'd be a solid Jewish majority, so they could fake being democratic).

This is also shown by the 1948, post Nakba, population of Israel. If there was 716, 700 Jews, 156, 000+ non-Jews, and approximately 700k non-Jews ethnically cleansed, that means the Jewish population, in the Zionist portion of partition, was originally over 100, 000 less than the non-Jewish population. To believe that there was never any intent, by Zionists, to ethnically cleanse away the Palestinian majority would require believing that they never intended to create a "Jewish state". It's a nonsensical notion.

Begin, and those terrorist groups, also opposed partition, but for the opposite reason Palestinians did. Palestinians didn't want to be colonized, at all. The terrorists wanted to colonize it all. "Moderate" Zionists were okay with colonizing half ... for now (what would happen in the future, after partition, was up to them, said Ben-Gurion). The Zionist terrorists were also involved in massacres, and assassinations, during the partition violence (colonialist war against the natives).

Another notable future Likud PM, also started in the military, during the partition fighting. That was Ariel Sharon, war criminal, "Butcher of Beirut".

Menachem Begin, and these other Zionist terrorists, are important because they became involved in Israeli politics, first forming Herut. That was the party that Albert Einstein, and other prominent American Jews, opposed, having a letter printed in the NYT, in December of 1948, when Begin came to visit the US. The letter opened ...

"Among the most disturbing political phenomena of our times is the emergence in the newly created state of Israel of the "Freedom Party" (Tnuat Haherut), a political party closely akin in its organization, methods, political philosophy and social appeal to the Nazi and Fascist parties. It was formed out of the membership and following of the former Irgun Zvai Leumi, a terrorist, right-wing, chauvinist organization in Palestine."

Herut merged with other extremist parties, over the years, and eventually became Likud, in the 70s. Now, people get upset over the slogan "From the river to the sea!", but it's the second part that's most important, "Palestine will be free!". Because "Palestine" isn't defined as an ethno-state, a free Palestine can be a single state, free for all to live in, and return to, free of continuing colonization, free of occupation, free of oppression, etc. Just like a Germany free of Nazism, an Italy free of fascism, a South Africa free of apartheid, or an America free of slavery from sea to shiny sea. It doesn't necessitate purging all the Jews. It just necessitates them giving up on the idea of an ethno-state.

On the other hand, because "Israel" has been defined as an ethno-state, Likud's, "between the sea and the Jordan there will only be Israeli sovereignty", has no possible good interpretation. It is a declaration of intent to completely colonize, and ethnically cleanse, all Palestine territories. Not only that, but it also claims that they have a "right" to all of the "Land of Israel" (biblical borders that don't mesh with archaeological reality), which is an open declaration of future wars, against Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and possibly even Iraq.

Likud platform ...


1977: "The Right of the Jewish People to the Land of Israel (Eretz Israel)

a. The right of the Jewish people to the land of Israel is eternal and indisputable and is linked with the right to security and peace; therefore, Judea and Samaria will not be handed to any foreign administration; between the Sea and the Jordan there will only be Israeli sovereignty.

b. A plan which relinquishes parts of western Eretz Israel, undermines our right to the country, unavoidably leads to the establishment of a "Palestinian State, " jeopardizes the security of the Jewish population, endangers the existence of the State of Israel. and frustrates any prospect of peace."

1999: "The Government of Israel flatly rejects the establishment of a Palestinian Arab state west of the Jordan river. The Palestinians can run their lives freely in the framework of self-rule, but not as an independent and sovereign state. Thus, for example, in matters of foreign affairs, security, immigration, and ecology, their activity shall be limited in accordance with imperatives of Israel's existence, security and national needs."

"The Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza are the realization of Zionist values. Settlement of the land is a clear expression of the unassailable right of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel and constitutes an important asset in the defense of the vital interests of the State of Israel. The Likud will continue to strengthen and develop these communities and will prevent their uprooting."

All Palestine territories are officially considered occupied, by the International Court of Justice, the UN GA, the UN SC, and even in official documents of Israel's own allies. Likud is still using the blueprint for colonizing North America, in the West Bank. Move settlements out into native territory, piss off the natives, the natives retaliate, cry about poor "innocent" colonizing settlers being the "victims" of violent "Savages!", call in the cavalry to put down the native uprising, and eventually expand the borders to include those settlements. Rinse and repeat. In Gaza, Israel is operating an open air WWII style fascist ghetto. Them claiming a "right to defend themselves" would be like the Nazis claiming a "right to defend themselves " from the Warsaw ghetto uprising. There's no "war". That they're the occupiers means the "war" part is long over. Those people are actually supposed to be under the occupier's protection.

That partition was forced upon the Palestinian majority, against their will ... that the Zionist portion still had to be forcefully ethnically cleansed of its non-Jewish majority, against their will ... that the millions of occupied Palestinians don't have a say in the government that truly rules over them, Israel's ... means Israel is about as democratic as Nazi Germany after Hitler purged his political opponents and then held elections.

[bijanyagho]

Thank you so much for your bravery, honesty and speaking up

[jensonee]

Thanks Mehdi. i hope you're never going to leave the scene.

[paulasanders]

Thank you Medhi Hasan, I trust your voice on Palestine

[bluecoffee]

We also need more jews in Media. They too finally need representation.

[omxzuql]

Pray for the palestinians. Only God can help these palestinians from this tragedy.

[journalistedisoncarter]

Get Mehdi to be a co-anchor with you guys! He's amazing! The guy is a journalistic masterpiece, and MSNBC blew it.

[michaelmcfeely]

In a debate with Richard Dawkins, available on YouTube, Mehdi Hasan seriously argued that horses can fly. Mehdi Hasan lacks credibility.

[samanth]

Yes, and then they fire those people when they get uncomfortable rather than listening and trying to understand.

[tfvtjhc]

You are so admirable Mehdi, glad to see you on You-Tube more 🇵🇸🕯️🙏

[amiteshraj]

Mehdi - where are the israeli hostages? have you asked the hamas to release them?
Everyone knows you have not, you are the voice of the terror.

[lncjigh]

Mehdi one of the best journalists in the world. ❤

[terrygregg]

We have been drinking western media Kool-aid for decades. This horror has been a wake up call.

[NoThatRyan]

Thank you for having Mehdi on.
It's always great to hear from him, even when it's bad news.

[xhumnqd]

That is the reality Mahdi, the Main stream media has allowed this double standard of democracy and human live values. It is utterly disgusting

[mysnailson]

Thank you for this, it needs to be said