Pearls and Irritations

I audibly gasped when Andrew Podger referred to Israel’s response in Gaza as a “lack of care” in a recent P&I article. Hardly a balanced use of words.

Andrew Podger’s article (19^th November) expresses his views on bias and imbalance within P&I, particularly on the issue of Palestine-Israel. I noted John Menadue’s firm response but would like to add a few more points.

When Podger says there is no balance from contributors, what does he actually mean? What are the two opposing positions he’s referring to? Is it the number of pro-Israeli articles vs the number of pro-Palestinian articles, or should there be articles that support the Israeli attempted annihilation of the Palestinians? This is a curious perspective if that is what he means. I don’t imagine anyone in 1945 would have the gall to write a justification for the horrific annihilation of the Jews.

I audibly gasped when he referred to Israel’s response in Gaza as a “lack of care”. Hardly a balanced used of words.

“None defended Israel’s actions.” Who could possibly defend what they have done. Collective punishment, attempted genocide, ethnic cleansing, starvation and the pure hatred of Palestinians for over seven decades.

The wording of his sentence “…the graphic pictures of dead Palestinian children published by P&I in the same week that six innocent hostages were murdered by Hamas”, again left me astounded. Note the wording: dead Palestinian children but murdered (Israeli) hostages. If that isn’t an imbalance, I don’t know what is. The Palestinian children weren’t somehow mysteriously dead, they were murdered by Israeli bombs.

He suggests that P&I risks becoming an echo chamber. I would imagine that this public policy journal would rather been known for its true aim and that is to be a platform to promote humanity and justice for all humankind – whoever is treated unjustly and needs a voice. We don’t know who could be next if we let the massacre of Palestinians slip by unnoticed.

He simplistically described the horror that is Gaza as a “conflict between Israel and Hamas”. It is the illegal occupation of almost 5 million Palestinians who have been brutalised, oppressed, sidelined, imprisoned and deprived for over seventy years. It is not a mere “conflict”, and it’s about time the world realised what treatment the Palestinians have had for decades.

I may have misinterpreted, but I thought Podger was equating his generalisation of Hamas as being ‘misogynism and homophobia’ with genocide. Making such an egregious comparison, if that is what he was suggesting, is distasteful to say the least. And may I add that some fundamentalist Christian Zionists who are ardent supporters of Israel are misogynistic and homophobic – just for balance.

The position of P&I is supporting justice vs injustice, humanity vs inhumanity peace vs war. This seems to be the angle of P&I contributors. In today’s world we need publications like P&I however “small” to alert readers to a true representation of where the world is heading.

Podger’s claim, when writing of Hamas “theocratic links to Iran”, fails to mention that Israel has strong and staunch theocratic links to America. The U.S. and Israel are joined at the hip in the minds of many American Christians and Israeli Zionists. Many unashamedly justify the genocidal intent towards the Palestinians. Some forms of Christianity and extreme Jewish Zionism (in their own ways) are holding on to biblical, theocratic teachings that enables them to eradicate children, babies, old people and innocent civilians. Theocratic links should be called out on all sides – for balance.

And no, Mr. Podger, the October 7 “brutal action” of Hamas didn’t effectively undermine any opportunity for a long-term solution. There was never any such solution in the pipeline. All along it’s been long-winded false concern and handwringing from Israel and the U.S. that amounted to naught. The Palestinians haven’t been a consideration for justice or decency from Israel’s perspective. Sadly, the hatred has been well oiled on all sides over the last seventy years. That’s what happens when people aren’t treated in a balanced manner.

It is thanks to publications like P&I that truth, transparency and possible solutions are put forward – regardless of how ambitious or unlikely they may be.

If Podger wants to single out a publication such as P&I, which relies on contributors with no skin in the game of financial reward or lines to toe, he perhaps should take aim at the glut of mainstream media which not only has skin in the game but hunts for a pound of flesh.

No skin in the game means all attempts are made not to spill a drop of blood.

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