The Australian newspaper takes disinformation and morality to new lows
Oct 9, 2024The Weekend Australian newspaper was awash with pro-Israel propaganda as it lined up its faithful journalists for an anti-Palestine pile on ahead of Monday’s anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack.
Fair and balanced went out the window long ago with Murdoch’s newspapers but this weekend’s effort was a clear indication of where his and his company’s moral compass points. And it’s not towards humanity or moral decency.
Abandonment of Israel, the headline shrieked as though Israel was some poor, downtrodden victim of evil intentions rather than the most powerful military in the Middle East. “Changed nation at risk of losing its values” thundered Paul Kelly who couldn’t seem to understand that some Australians don’t cop shit behaviour by a supremacist Israeli government determined to extinguish an indigenous race who have lived in the region for millennia.
Piece after piece trotted out the usual Zionist narrative of Jews being the victims in this horrific war. We were reminded of the shocking events of that day with survivor stories that varied little from IDF reports. Reports that have never been independently verified but served to inflame passions in Israel and around the world. The October 7 massacre was front and centre but there was no mention of the daily massacre of Palestinians that have occurred in Gaza every day since.
There was also no mention of the genocide taking place or the fact Israel is being investigated for war crimes. No mention of the fact that for the past 70 years Palestinians have been expelled from their own lands or the last 56 years during which the Palestinian territories have been illegally occupied. And no mention of the cruelty imposed daily on citizens of the West Bank who are totally marginalised and have no rights under Israeli law.
It was another full-blown attempt to paint anti-Israel protestors as being antisemitic and responsible for the social fracture in the country. The Jewish Zionist organisations must have been delighted. Article after article reflected the talking points of prominent Australian Jews so much so you would think they were merely re-writes of press releases. Alex Ryvchin of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry told us that attacks on Jews were at record levels. His explanation for this hatred was because “Those who hate us also happen to hate that bundle of rights and freedoms we call Western values: free markets, individual rights, anything perceived to be white or European or American.” Really Mr Ryvchin. Nothing to do with Israel’s humiliation, degradation subjugation and extermination of a race of people over the last 70 years.
And, of course, it was also a perfect opportunity to attack the Labor government and Albanese personally for being weak and not standing up for Israel. No matter that many other people consider the government weak for not wholeheartedly supporting the Palestinian cause, The Australian denounced the government for its failure to support Jews as though Australian Jews were fighting in the Middle East. How the far right loves to conflate Israel’s Zionist project with Judaism.
But the final piece of absurdity must go to that anachronism Gerard Henderson who chimed in by saying “War will not end until Israel’s foes stop attacking it”. You have to wonder whether this man has ever read anything about the history of Israel/ Palestine. Does he think these foes have no reason to attack Israel? Is he not aware that Gaza has been one giant outdoor prison for nearly 20 years or the West Bank is occupied by a foreign power and the people of that territory do not even have the same rights as the illegal settlers? Clearly not. And I doubt it will ever occur to him that perhaps the war will end when Israel gives Palestinians the right to self government and the chance to live in dignity and security.
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