President Obama’s biggest challenge in his effort to negotiate peace that leads to a secure Israel and an independent Palestinian state side by side, is the western media, not Hamas or Hezbollah. The media is a problem the President can not solve. The media have to take journalism ethics seriously.
The tales of Palestinian victim-hood make great copy. Painting the Jews as the great evil, the stealer of land, user of overwhelming force, and manipulator of the U.S., plays into European stereotypes of Jews that are more than a thousand years in the making. Therefore, these stories sell.
These tales also encourage Palestinian resistance to actions that are in their own best interest. If leading western news outlets like the BBC and Le Monde take the lead (with the New York Times joining in) and break through their stereotype paradigm it could help to prepare Palestinians for eventual peace. Palestinians preparing for peace will help Israelis prepare for peace.
Only the truth will set the Palestinians free.
