Opposing perspectives obscure facts about Gaza conflict
As violence continues, Americans struggle over who is to blame for Middle East crisis
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Photo courtesy of mctcampus.com Gazans face constant violence in the continuing struggle between Israeli and Palestinian forces. It has only been 20 days, but there have already been more than 900 casualties. This number cannot be verified since international journalists have been denied any access.
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Photo courtesy of mctcampus.com
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Photo courtesy of mctcampus.com
Twenty days. More than 900 Gazans and 13 Israelis. That is the length of the conflict in Gaza and the number of deaths estimated by Palestinian medics and Israeli officials. Israeli offensive and Hamas missile-launching began immediately after the tenuous six-month truce between the neighboring nations ended.
The Israeli-led Operation Cast Lead has been studiously covered by the media but since Israel's recent prevention of journalists from entering Gaza, the casualties suffered by both sides cannot be confirmed.
Accusations between sides fly almost as frequently as the bombs and rockets. Israel denies claims that it fired white phosphorous shells in civilian areas. Meanwhile, accusations that Hamas leaders fired rockets into Israel during the last days of the six-month cease fire have not been satisfactorily addressed by the Palestinian government.
Watching the continued bombings and killings, with both Hamas and Israel rejecting U.N.-proposed resolutions, many Elon students feel disappointed.
“I’m not real proud Americans are supplying Israeli forces,” junior Andrew Hawkey said. “I understand why Israel is acting this way but I don’t approve. Israel had a choice about what to do and it is unfortunate this is what they chose.”
In the midst of such bloody violence, divisive ideals and relentless blaming of sides, it is hard for Americans to sort through bias and partiality to make an objective judgment of the conflict.
According to The Australian, Israel has sought peace for 60 years and has attempted to participate in civilized negations with the flanking Palestine, who the paper claims is run by an internationally recognized terrorist nation attempting to spread its form of extreme Islam.
Meanwhile, the New York Times reported that journalists have been denied admission into Gaza by Israeli officials and kept them from “direct contact with any fighting or Palestinian suffering” but “full access to Israeli political and military commentators.”
Political science professor Rudy Zarzar believes it is this kind of media spin that inappropriately influences students’ perception regarding the conflict.
“I would venture to guess that if you ask students how they feel about the conflict, they will echo what the press tells them and what it tells them is that Israeli is defending itself,” Zarzar said. “In my experience, the Palestinian side is not heard in this country. The media establishes the Israeli perceptive and they never say anything about the Palestinian perspective.”
Any attempt to sort through the history of the conflict is riddled with preconceptions and prejudice, which makes getting the facts about the long years of aggression nearly impossible to reconcile.
“There are basically two perspectives: the pro-Israeli-American perspective where Israel can do no wrong and is always in the right, and the international perspective that seeks a just settlement of the conflict, one that is based on the United Nations Resolution and on International Law,” Zarzar said.
With the conflict beginning in 1987 with the first Palestinian uprising and the constant changing of power between leaders, violence seems the only constant in the Gaza Strip. Many believe resolution can only be reached with the aid of foreign countries and international intervention.
“The key to that settlement is the United States. The only way we’re going to solve this is for the Israelis to do what the U.N. has been saying all along and agree to a permanent binding and stable peace between the parties,” Zarzar said. “In the absence of that, there will be violence.”
The Israeli-led Operation Cast Lead has been studiously covered by the media but since Israel's recent prevention of journalists from entering Gaza, the casualties suffered by both sides cannot be confirmed.
Accusations between sides fly almost as frequently as the bombs and rockets. Israel denies claims that it fired white phosphorous shells in civilian areas. Meanwhile, accusations that Hamas leaders fired rockets into Israel during the last days of the six-month cease fire have not been satisfactorily addressed by the Palestinian government.
Watching the continued bombings and killings, with both Hamas and Israel rejecting U.N.-proposed resolutions, many Elon students feel disappointed.
“I’m not real proud Americans are supplying Israeli forces,” junior Andrew Hawkey said. “I understand why Israel is acting this way but I don’t approve. Israel had a choice about what to do and it is unfortunate this is what they chose.”
In the midst of such bloody violence, divisive ideals and relentless blaming of sides, it is hard for Americans to sort through bias and partiality to make an objective judgment of the conflict.
According to The Australian, Israel has sought peace for 60 years and has attempted to participate in civilized negations with the flanking Palestine, who the paper claims is run by an internationally recognized terrorist nation attempting to spread its form of extreme Islam.
Meanwhile, the New York Times reported that journalists have been denied admission into Gaza by Israeli officials and kept them from “direct contact with any fighting or Palestinian suffering” but “full access to Israeli political and military commentators.”
Political science professor Rudy Zarzar believes it is this kind of media spin that inappropriately influences students’ perception regarding the conflict.
“I would venture to guess that if you ask students how they feel about the conflict, they will echo what the press tells them and what it tells them is that Israeli is defending itself,” Zarzar said. “In my experience, the Palestinian side is not heard in this country. The media establishes the Israeli perceptive and they never say anything about the Palestinian perspective.”
Any attempt to sort through the history of the conflict is riddled with preconceptions and prejudice, which makes getting the facts about the long years of aggression nearly impossible to reconcile.
“There are basically two perspectives: the pro-Israeli-American perspective where Israel can do no wrong and is always in the right, and the international perspective that seeks a just settlement of the conflict, one that is based on the United Nations Resolution and on International Law,” Zarzar said.
With the conflict beginning in 1987 with the first Palestinian uprising and the constant changing of power between leaders, violence seems the only constant in the Gaza Strip. Many believe resolution can only be reached with the aid of foreign countries and international intervention.
“The key to that settlement is the United States. The only way we’re going to solve this is for the Israelis to do what the U.N. has been saying all along and agree to a permanent binding and stable peace between the parties,” Zarzar said. “In the absence of that, there will be violence.”
Updated January 13, 2009
