On February 19, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) published a report highlighting the “flagrant human rights violations” against Palestinian women by Israeli army soldiers in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank since October 7, 2023.
United Nations: Palestinian Women Were Subjected To Violent Practices by Israeli Soldiers
The report stated that Palestinian women and girls in Gaza faced arbitrary execution, often alongside family members, including children. Simultaneously, a group of United Nations human rights experts expressed deep concern about other humiliating and inhumane practices, such as depriving Palestinian women of sanitary pads, food, and medicine. They endured severe beatings and were detained in cages in Gaza, exposed to rain and cold without food.
“We are particularly distressed by reports that Palestinian women and girls in detention have also been subjected to multiple forms of sexual assault, such as being stripped naked and searched by male Israeli army officers. At least two female Palestinian detainees were reportedly raped while others were reportedly threatened with rape and sexual violence,” the experts said.
Israel promptly denounced the UN report, dismissing the information as 'despicable and baseless' and accusing the agency of hypocrisy, legitimizing the violence on October 7.
A statement by the Israeli Foreign Ministry on the report said, “Those authorized by the UN mandate have remained silent on the horrific sexual and gender-based violence committed by Hamas on October 7th. The co-signatories are clearly motivated not by truth, but by their hatred of Israel and its allies.”
However, this official Israeli claim is baseless, as the United Nations called for opening a comprehensive investigation and cooperation with various parties to investigate allegations that Hamas fighters committed humanitarian violations on October 7.
Biased Western Media Coverage of the UN Report
Misbar has scrutinized the coverage of major international media and newspapers regarding accusations against Hamas members. This analysis involved comparing the coverage of these accusations to that of the United Nations report, considering both address the same subject. Given the high level of global credibility enjoyed by the United Nations, Misbar found bias in the media coverage.
Initially, Misbar observed a media blackout on the latest United Nations report. Apart from CNN, The Independent, Voice of America, and BuzzFeed, prominent media outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph, PBS, CBS, CNBC, and BBC did not publish any news, reports, or journalistic materials discussing the latest United Nations report at the time of this report's writing. Normally, these outlets cover almost everything issued by the United Nations organization.
In contrast, Misbar noted that all the aforementioned media outlets published multiple articles about the allegations of sexual violence by Hamas. For instance, The New York Times published more than three reports on the subject.
By the end of last year, the newspaper published an investigation into allegations that Palestinian resistance members committed sexual assaults and gender-based violence on October 7. The investigation faced widespread criticism from media, human rights, and feminist institutions due to its shortcomings and contradictions with statements made by some witnesses to the Israeli media.
Internally, the investigation also received criticism from some of the newspaper’s writers and editors. In response, the editorial board assigned the investigator to continue collecting evidence that would support the original reports. Additionally, they prepared a special episode of “The Daily” podcast produced by the newspaper to discuss the investigation, while leaving some space for accountability, skepticism, and asking questions, which were missing from the original investigation. Unfortunately, it was prevented from publishing under pressure from Israeli organizations.
Last November, before the investigations were even published, The Washington Post published a report entitled “Israel investigates an elusive, horrific enemy: Rape as a weapon of war,” and an opinion article by Jennifer Rubin entitled “Israeli women count, too.”
As for the Wall Street Journal, it published a report entitled “Israel's ‘Black Sabbath’: Murder, Sexual Violence and Torture on Oct.7," along with an opinion article by Peggy Noonan entitled “The Rape of the Israeli Women,” in addition to two stories devoted to separate testimonies from those she said were “victims” of these attacks.
While the Los Angeles Times published two news stories about increasing evidence proving Hamas’ use of sexual violence as a weapon, and another about Biden’s condemnation of that news. The Guardian and The Telegraph published a collection of stories about the accumulation of evidence, the fear of it being hidden, and the UN condemnations, along with multiple opinion articles on the matter.
As for the abovementioned television networks, which did not cover the United Nations report on the practice of sexual violence against Palestinian women by members of the Israeli army, they devoted space to guests, discussions, and reports over the past two months to talk about the same matter, from the Israeli point of view only.
Cautiously, Other Media Outlets Are Addressing the UN Report
On the other hand, Misbar found that Western media cautiously covered the United Nations report on sexual violence committed by Israeli soldiers. For example, The Hill, an American newspaper, published a story entitled “UN experts condemn ‘credible’ reports of executions, sexual assaults by Israeli soldiers,” with the identity of the victims omitted from the main headline. Notably, the newspaper deliberately placed 'credible' in quotation marks, a journalistic practice indicating skepticism. Interestingly, this is the same newspaper that published more than four pieces covering allegations of attacks on Israeli women.
The British Sky News channel, which previously published a report entitled “Growing evidence of sexual abuse by Hamas fighters in Israel - but investigators are facing problems" and another entitled “Israel-Hamas war: Did Hamas weaponise sexual violence at the Supanova," a third is titled “Women’s genitals ‘systematically mutilated' in Hamas attack, says Israeli reservist who dealt with bodies.” A story that quoted Netanyahu's statements in which he said that human rights groups turn a blind eye to alleged rapes committed by Hamas while their breaking news covered the latest UN report.
This coverage arises amidst criticism of Western media, with accusations of double standards and claims of undermining the principles of 'balance and justice' during the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip. In this context, 'balance' implies an attempt to present all aspects of the story, while 'justice' dictates that journalists should strive for accuracy, presenting facts without distorting the narrative to align with the establishment's agenda. However, the omission of one facet of the story undermines public interest and reinforces the echo chamber effect, where individuals are drawn to news and stories that align with their beliefs, without exposure to alternative positions and viewpoints.
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