When State Child Abuse is a Non-Story
(originally published on Medium, Mar 8, 2018)
When State Child Abuse is a Non-Story
Or, It’s Not the Crime that Matters, it’s Who Commits It
Here’s a shocking story of a cynical act of cruelty against a traumatized, badly injured child by an illegal, heavy-handed regime. Under the cover of early morning darkness, heavily armed soldiers seize a badly wounded (shot point blank in the face several weeks earlier by the same military, requiring the removal of much of his skull to save his life) boy from his sickbed, and whisk him off to face military interrogation alone. Understandbly terrified, this child, seriously ill from having much of his brain blasted away, 'confesses' that his wounds were caused by a ‘bicycle accident’. Having heroically extracted this admission, his interrogators widely share this ludicrous 'reality’, crowing that the truth - that the trigger happy occupying force had shot a child in the face for the crime of peeking over a wall- was actually ‘FAKE NEWS’.
Surely this dramatic, disgusting tale of criminal child abuse, topped every western news cycle for days, if not weeks, with scathing editorials, news readers breaking down in tears, and screeds from enraged legislators? Resulted in quick demands from elected officials to make the repulsive regime responsible pay a heavy price, and deter future similar abominations?
Yeah, not so much.
For Israel, like their creepy, crazy new best pal, Saudi Arabia, is forever held to their own, special standard by the western establishment. Like the spoiled, violent, amoral child of a spoiled, violent, amoral parent, all but the most inexcusable and extreme acts are ignored or cravenly justified.
Daily beating, illegal imprisonment, and murder of children, sometimes justified by the thinnest reasons, other times without explanation, passes muster as 'maintaining order’. Even when the order is being maintained in illegally occupied territory, suppressing legitimate resistance.
Claims of 'democracy' are mindlessly parrotted, despite holding millions without rights and under severe deprivation, while qualifying citizenship based on religion. Pillars of a open, tolerant society, such as respect for a free press and intolerance of racism, are selectively supported. Blatant land theft, from both individuals and sovereign states, is justified for 'security’, or shrugged at as 'reality’.
Illegal, extreme military actions are justified as 'defense’. Constant threats toward and destablization of neighbors are protrayed as reasonable self-preservation. Support for foul extremists is actually humanitarian kindness.
Enemies are decried and assaulted for nuclear ambitions, while an illegally held nuclear arsenal is sensible deterrence. Meddling, including dangerous threats, to stop attempts to peacefully prevent the spread of nukes to these enemies are seen as justified.
Religious extremists are tolerated, if not encouraged, as they harass and assault (including regular efforts to run over children) unwanted minorities in an effort to drive them from coveted land. Criticism of this state sanctioned discrimination is smeared as… discrimination, and criminalized.
All to defend a state with a long history of unprovoked military attacks (including against Americans), use of assassination, ethnic cleansing, collective punishment, and support of all kinds of brutal, authoritarian, and illegal regimes.
We live in a time of a pitifully failing, corporate- dominated fourth estate, mindlessly fixated on stupid, dangerous hysteria and vacuous non-stories. Few things better illustrate this institutional collapse than the jarring disconnect in coverage between establishment favorites and establishment pariahs.
Imagine the omnipresence and tenor of mainstream media coverage if Iranian Revolutionary Guards had treated a boy wounded in a demonstration the same way as Mohammed Tamimi. Or if Venezuela was encouraging and enabling violent Chavistas to take over opposition towns, seizing property and running down their children. Or if Russia was flying military aircraft over the Baltics with impunity, while bombing the Ukraine 100’s of times. Or North Korea had occupied for years, or just outright seized parts of South Korea and Japan in the name of self defense.
More and more, Americans are coming to realize that 'friends' like Israel and Saudi Arabia, despite constant propaganda in their favor, are actually incredibly dangerous to American interests and disgustingly repressive in their domestic policies.
Boycott. Divest. Sanction. All day, everyday.
Update — Evidently, this kid hasn’t suffered sufficiently according to Israeli authorities. He was seized (on the way to the grocery store) detained, and beaten May 20th 2018, before being released.
Note the near absolute lack of coverage (I found only palestinian news, Electronic intifada, and Daily Sabah articles) in the media, and imagine if this were an Iranian, Russian, or Venezuelan child (or for that matter an American child). I have a feeling in that case the western press would have been all over this disgusting story.