Despite taking strong stances on human rights issues globally, world media consciously ignores the human rights violations occurring in Palestine. To understand this dual behavior, we need to examine the relationship between these media outlets and Israel.

Western media always adopts a biased stance regarding the Israel-Palestine issue. Major global media outlets also express their support for Israel in any Middle Eastern conflict.

To question the nearly 80-year liberation struggle of the Palestinian people, the Zionist Israeli state and its agents have been deeply engaged in mind control efforts. The Jews did not stop at seizing Palestinian lands; they are also working on capturing minds through the media, education, politics, film, social media, diplomacy, law-making, and lobbying.

A report from The Guardian reveals that the pro-Israel lobby spent around $2.3 million on Hillary Clinton's campaign in the 2016 elections. In 2020, they provided $3.7 million for Joe Biden's campaign, which is $1 million more than what was given to Hillary Clinton. During the 2018 U.S. elections, the Israeli lobby spent approximately $22 million.

Israel spends a significant amount of money to establish relationships with American media. Initially, they leverage relationships with political parties in any country. These relationships are fostered by some Israeli lobby institutions. These lobbies build relationships with political leaders and provide the necessary funds for their election campaigns. After being elected, those who received Israeli funds feel obligated to protect Israeli interests. Thus, the Israeli lobby has established a strong position in American politics.

In the United States, there is an Israeli institution called the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). This institution has significant influence in many sectors of the U.S., from weapons to energy industries.

The influence of these pro-Israel lobbies can also be seen in Britain. During the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement in the UK, the movement also brought up the issue of Palestinian rights. At that time, British media withdrew their support from the movement. This included major outlets like the BBC and Sky Sports, as supporting Palestine could lead to financial losses and the potential cessation of financial donations.

In 1988, Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky wrote a book on how propaganda works to control the masses, titled "Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media." In this book, they proposed their well-known propaganda model. This model explains how media is used to brainwash audiences. Western media uses this structure in their messaging policies to cover up Israel's genocide against Palestine.

In the book's second chapter, Edward and Chomsky state that events are covered or not covered in the media based on the declared or undeclared policies or interests of those in power in the United States. The authors refer to this as media-worthy victims and non-worthy victims. Simply put:

1. Victims who are worthy of help and sympathy.

2. Victims who are not worthy of help and sympathy.

If an oppressed group or nation aligns with American interests (in most cases, Zionist interests), they receive positive coverage or sympathy in American media. Media sets the agenda and frames these victims in a way that elicits sympathy from readers and viewers. This manipulation of public opinion ultimately influences decisions, creating support for the chosen victims. This support is then reproduced on social media, reinforcing the narrative. The U.S. administration gains moral support for using taxpayer money or weapons and technology to rescue the selected victims.

For instance, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the anti-Russian Ukrainians received sympathy and support from the U.S. and Western Europeans. However, despite Saudi Arabia and the UAE attacking Yemen, the Yemeni victims do not receive the same sympathy in American or Western media. This is because the Yemeni victims do not follow Saudi Arabia's lead and instead align with Iran, which the U.S. opposes.

In the context of the present situation, the illegal state of Israel is portrayed in Western media as a victim worthy of support, while Palestinians are labeled as terrorists or instigators. This narrative extends from the media to academia and into society, even receiving support from Christian Zionists.

Israel's actions since its establishment in 1948, such as ethnic cleansing and occupation, are rarely questioned in Western media. The historical context reveals that in 1947, there was no Israel in the entire 27,000 square kilometers of Palestine. Today, Israel occupies 22,000 square kilometers, while Palestinians are confined to just 4,000 square kilometers, struggling for survival.

Norman Finkelstein, a Jewish author, stated that after Israel occupied vast Palestinian and Syrian territories in 1967, they widely promoted opposition to the racist Jewish state as anti-Semitism and began exploiting the persecution of Jews during World War II.

John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago and Stephen Walt of Harvard University wrote a book titled "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Policy." In this book, they reveal how the U.S. gives Israel at least $3.8 billion annually due to the influence of the Jewish lobby, based on the narrative that Israel is a vulnerable and helpless victim. The authors argue that Israel has grown stronger with this aid, while the U.S. gains no financial or security benefits.

In his book "The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine," Jewish professor Ilan Pappe identifies the flaws in the foundation of the Israeli state. Pappe states that in 1948, European Jews forcibly expelled 700,000 to 800,000 native Palestinians (mostly Muslims and some Christians like Edward Said's family) through a blueprint of ethnic cleansing. The Jews carried out genocidal acts in over 500 Palestinian villages.

Western media plays a significant role in shaping public opinion by selectively covering and framing news stories. When Palestinians retaliate against inhumane Israeli oppression with homemade weapons, they are portrayed as terrorists, while Israeli aggressors become the media-worthy victims. This theoretical framework dehumanizes Palestinians and justifies their oppression.

Western media extensively demonizes Hamas and Palestinians, using language similar to what Hitler used before the Holocaust or what was used during the Rwandan genocide. For example, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant referred to Palestinians as "human animals," justifying their killing. The Western media, sensitive to anti-Semitism, did not object to this genocidal language.

According to Jewish professor Norman Finkelstein, Palestinians have become slaves to Israeli aggression and have the moral and legal right to rebel against their oppressors. Despite the ongoing oppression and crimes against humanity by the illegal state structure formed through the 1917 Balfour Declaration and the 1948 genocide, Western media begins by asking, "Do you condemn Hamas?" aiming to capture the audience's mind.

Palestinians will surely one day be free from the besieged prison of tyrannical Israel, flying freely from the West Bank to the Mediterranean Sea. The liberation struggle of a nation that has learned to die will become a practical lesson, a wise instruction, and a living example for the whole world. 

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Kaberi Maitraya, Senior Reporter, Ekattor Television.