The Al Ahli Hospital incident in Gaza highlighted a disturbing trend: the immediate scapegoating of Israel.
Major media outlets all over the world, including the Philippines, were too quick to report that Israel was the one who did it. Despite later statements from Israel and conclusive evidence pointing to a misfired Islamic Jihad rocket, skepticism persisted, fueled by a fog of misinformation courtesy of Hamas, a terrorist organization.
As the dust settled, it became clear that initial reports were marred by inaccuracies. The hospital itself remained unscathed, and the death toll was significantly lower than the alarming figures broadcasted. Yet, the damage had been done.
The international community was quick to condemn Israel and paid little attention to evidence that favors the Jewish state. This selective outrage perpetuates the false narrative that Israel is the aggressor, while the true culprits – Hamas – continue to evade accountability.
The statements from Gaza’s Ministry of Health were welcomed and re-echoed, while the fact checking from Israel was faced with unwarranted contempt. The stark contrast in treatment underscores a glaring double standard. In democracies like Israel, health officials are impartial civil servants, but in Gaza, allegiance to Hamas takes precedence. The evidence points to a deliberate distortion of facts in service to a terrorist organization’s agenda.
The immediate and automatic belief in lies, even when later disproven, perpetuates a damaging cycle of delegitimization against Israel. As the world grapples with shocking images, it is imperative to question why the truth is so easily sacrificed on the altar of sensationalism.
A disturbing pattern has emerged – the swift blame placed on Israel for any misfortune that befalls the Palestinians. In recent conflicts, up to 15 percent of projectiles aimed at Israeli villages, towns and cities ended up in Gaza, leading to heart-wrenching scenes of death and destruction. Since Hamas initiated its attacks on Israel, approximately 600 rockets targeting Israeli civilians have hit Gaza residents instead.
One cannot help but question when the press and the international community will cease to place unwavering trust in Hamas. How can those who live by a moral code that endorses the murder of innocents be seen as reliable and fair-minded conveyors of facts?
One of the most chilling examples of this can be found in Hamas’ consistent and ongoing use of human shields. Deliberately placing Palestinian civilians, including children, in harm’s way serves the purpose of escalating international pressure on Israel to halt its self-defense measures. How can you take a terror organization that slaughters people, rapes girls and women, burns entire families alive, kidnaps and holds hundreds of people as hostages, builds terror facilities among humanitarian and civilian facilities as a reliable source?
This appalling tactic, coupled with Hamas’ long history of deception, is well-documented. Yet, as we witnessed this week, there are those who still choose to be deceived by its propaganda.
For those who fall into the “blame Israel first” category, not even recordings of two Hamas terrorists discussing Islamic Jihad’s misfired rocket during the incident, visual evidence or verification by the Pentagon and numerous independent analysts seem to suffice.
It is time to challenge the dangerous game of blaming Israel without evidence. The terrorists’ lies must be exposed, and their propaganda dismantled. The international community must recognize the truth and hold the true culprits accountable. By perpetuating false narratives and “alternative facts,” we not only deny Israel its right to self-defense but also contribute to the cycle of violence and suffering. It is time to break free from the grip of deception and embrace a more nuanced understanding of the complex realities in the Middle East.
Terrorists lie, but it is our responsibility to seek the truth.
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Ilan Fluss is the Israeli ambassador to the Philippines.