By: Dr Matevž Tomšič
Despite the rise of sensationalism, ideologization, activism, and a general decline in standards, it is still possible to find writings in some traditional media that stand out for their intellectual insight and honesty. Their purpose is to counter the prevailing tide of manipulation and even outright lies.
Recently, renowned French philosopher and writer Bernard-Henri Lévy published an article in the American daily newspaper The Wall Street Journal. He is one of France’s most influential intellectuals, a man who raised his voice during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, calling on Western countries to intervene (even militarily) to stop the Greater Serbian aggression. Now, he has set out to expose the distortions surrounding the current military conflict in the Middle East. The image portrayed by most Western media is deeply skewed, as they primarily blame Israel for the horrors of war, even though Israel’s intervention was a response to the massacre carried out on its soil by members of the Palestinian terrorist organisation Hamas.
Lévy highlights three of the most typical falsehoods about the war between Israel and Hamas: 1) That Israel is reoccupying Gaza; 2) that the country is using hunger as a “weapon” against Palestinians; 3) that it is committing “genocide” in Gaza.
Israel withdrew from Gaza back in 2005. Its military response nearly two years ago was a predictable reaction to Hamas’s incursion into Israeli territory and the massacre of its citizens. Moreover, Israeli leaders have repeatedly stated that their goal is to eliminate Hamas terrorists, not to govern Gaza. Accusations that Israel is deliberately causing food shortages are also misinformation. Yes, many people in Gaza are starving, but not because Israel is withholding food shipments. Rather, the majority of aid is seized by Hamas and affiliated gangs. The most absurd accusation is that of genocide. It is true that the war has caused immense destruction, suffering, and especially loss of life. Many lives have been lost unnecessarily. But we know who initiated the conflict, and it was not Israel. We must understand that genocide is a deliberate, planned, and systematic attempt to annihilate a specific group of people. If Israel truly intended to “cleanse” Gaza of Palestinians, it would not take two years. It has more than enough military and logistical capacity to carry out such an operation much faster. It would not send SMS alerts to warn civilians of incoming attacks. It would not deliver food and aid. It would not evacuate the sick and wounded. It is not to say that Israeli security forces have never used excessive force. Nor that they have not committed war crimes. But unfortunately, such crimes accompany every war.
Today, however, contributions driven by truthfulness and grounded in reason and facts are increasingly rare amid a flood of manipulations that play solely on people’s emotions. It is a simplistic black-and-white portrayal of the world, where some are always the heroes and others always the villains. And these manipulators who shout about genocide in Gaza, without offering any convincing evidence, expect people to believe them blindly. If they do not, they take offense. Just like Slovenia’s President Nataša Pirc Musar, who was reportedly upset that foreign dignitaries did not applaud her speech at the Bled Strategic Forum, where she once again criticised Israel, claiming they should have clapped “out of respect.” This reeks of astonishing arrogance. Apparently, the country’s first lady does not realise that respect cannot be commanded. We either respect someone or we do not – and external pressure cannot change that. Respect must be earned. And spreading manipulations is hardly a good foundation for it.