Drowning out the Voices of Underrepresented:

Media Blackout on Boycott Israel Movement Is Not an Accident

Rasa - They are desperate to "expose" how Russia hacked the US election to help Donald Trump win. But when it comes to news on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement (BDS), the controlled media in the West all black out.

News ID: 426769

Date: 23 January 2017 - 18:53

RNA - Hence the absence of any news on the brutal, ugly and illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine, or the unremitting humanitarian crisis that is Gaza. Here, it is Zionist pandering by numbers, and it wins them all uproarious applause and standing ovations. Always.

Quite the contrary, the boycott movement is never at the forefront of the mainstream media scene, even when politicians like Donald Trump dance around the issue and make it a point to voice their “ardent support for Israel” at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee convention. The mainstream course as usual never have the courage to buck the tide and actually insert a modicum of truth, ethics and reality.

Also in stark contrast to the “non-debate” on this essential element of US foreign policy is the absence of any news on the Israeli occupation. Despite the fact that Israel’s illegal occupation and its persistent violations of human rights have gained wider and wider condemnation internationally, most people in the US still know very little about the exact nature of the occupation, its deep historical roots, and its deadly impact on the lives of common Palestinians.

This is not surprising - given the virtual media blackout of the term. Most media outlets in the West never dare utter the words, “Israeli Occupation” or “Boycott Israel,” which have clear and legitimate legal meanings.

Their applicability has been affirmed by the European Union and its recent decision to label products made in illegal settlements. The decision has been endorsed by a growing number of companies and organizations that are now collectively boycotting Israeli goods. In addition to this collective global action, several universities and academic centers have cut off relations with their Israeli counterparts. They all recognize the fact that Palestinians are governed under military law, rather than civil law.

It started in 2005 and has been gaining momentum ever since. It has gained support from trade unions and various political groups all over the world. The movement has also been endorsed by many celebrities and academics with significant victories in Europe.

This is so important, because while Israel grows more repressive, those that feel it the most are the Palestinians. Their freedom demands the support of the world’s people and the mainstream course. The BDS campaign provides individuals, organizations, businesses and governments with a very real way to support that freedom struggle. All they need is broader media coverage.

Given all the weight placed on the term “Boycott Israel,” therefore, we need to know exactly what that term means to the mainstream media and why it has become the focal point of so much energetic and committed human rights work internationally. The media have to care about the movement and let us know what their mainstream political leaders do not want us to know. It's the only way to prove they are not compliant.

There's no denying that the BDS Movement is an effective and peaceful way to internationally isolate and bring pressure to bear on Tel Aviv to end its policy of exclusion, discrimination and persecution. It is the only thing that ends the impunity that is allowing the usurper regime to repeatedly assault Palestinian human rights.

To help bring change to Palestine, it is essential for the mainstream media not to drown out the voices of the trod upon and underrepresented with the considerably louder and better-financed powerful of the world. This has been the case for decades. Voices supportive of Israeli occupation and brutality rule the media in the West. Only rarely do voices opposed to the ongoing rampage through Palestine break into the mainstream discourse. This is not an accident. The Zionist regime depends on compliant media to spread its view of the occupation.

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