Gaza: the US press harsher on Israel
i24NEWS ·
Live from New York on i24NEWS, the day after the violence on the Israel-Gaza border and the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem. At the UN Security Council, convened in an emergency at Kuwait's initiative, there is no resolution: the text calling for an independent investigation was blocked by the United States before it even came to a vote. Kuwait is preparing a new, very limited text on protecting Palestinian civilians, but "any specific resolution tied to yesterday's violence will meet an American veto on its way". The French, Russians and British condemned the violence while recalling that Hamas was equipped with Molotov cocktails and explosive devices, measured words that contrasted with the firmness of Nikki Haley: for the US ambassador, moving the embassy has nothing to do with the violence along the border. David Benaym then turns to the tone of the American press, "much harsher than usual in similar situations": no mention, on last night's TV news, of the violence coming from Palestinian protesters. A turn taken in recent months in Middle East coverage, perhaps because the embassy move is a project Donald Trump wanted, which most of the media criticize systematically. Example: the Daily News front page with Ivanka Trump in Jerusalem and the provocative headline "Daddy's Little Ghoul", a twist on "Daddy's little girl". The New York Times stays factual, even if the dead in Gaza take over, Fox News echoes the White House line, and the New York Post hails the historic side with "This Year in Jerusalem". Correspondence by David Benaym on i24NEWS in French, May 15, 2018.