On May 12thâs NBCâs Nightly News, Lester Holt reported that violence in occupied Gaza had cost the lives of 65 Palestinians, including 14 children, and 6 Israelis (113 Palestinian fatalities including 31 children as we write).
The large difference reflects the fact that Israel is a military powerhouse, a sovereign state, while the Palestinians are stateless and occupied by Israel.
Holt reported President Bidenâs response (âIsrael has a right to defend itselfâ) â but nothing about the context of the situation.
Sadly, reporting by NBC, NPRâmainstream mediaâgenerally are biased in Israelâs favor. The only fair reporting weâve heard has been provided by Democracy Now!, an internationally syndicated news broadcast (accessible on WETS-FM in Johnson City).
The Irish Times view on accusations of apartheid against Israel: The high moral ground International law defines apartheid as a crime against humanity in which one racial group dominates another through intentional, systematic and inhumane acts of oppression.
about 4 hours ago Lebanese Sunni clerics wear protective face masks as they attend a protest in solidarity with the Palestinians in Jerusalem and the West Bank in front of the headquarters of the United Nations in Beirut last week. Photograph: Wael Hamzeh
Success in labelling critiques of Israeli treatment of Palestinians as “anti-Semitic” is to put such critiques beyond the Pale of legitimate argument and to deflect the discussion from a specific policy to whether or not it falls within the definition of an offence that is rightly regarded as repugnant.
Point & counterpoint | Vaccine priorities: Phyllis Bennis - Exclusion putting millions at risk
Phyllis Bennis
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They highlighted the same problem.
It’s been nearly impossible for tens of thousands of eligible would-be vaccine takers across Washington, D.C., where I live, to actually get the shot. It’s the same across the country. Hundreds of thousands of doses promised to cities and states never arrived. Where there should be coordination, there’s been only chaos.
Because our country treats health care as a privilege, not a right, those most vulnerable to the virus especially people of color and the poor are also those least likely to get quick access to the vaccines. Between 3,000 and 4,000 people die every day across the United States, even as unused vaccines get tossed in the trash.