Al Jazeera Discovers Gaza Has Been in a 'War' for Years
Al Jazeera offers 'reflections' from Gaza, where a 'war' is entering its 'third year.' One might wonder what exactly they were calling the previous blockades, bombardments, and invasions. This 'discovery' of Gazan suffering as a recent phenomenon conveniently bypasses the decades of systematic enclosure and aggression. Perhaps they missed the 2008-09 'Operation Cast Lead,' the 2014 'Operation
Protective Edge,' or the fact that residents have lived under a suffocating siege since 2007. It's a 'war' that never really pauses, only escalates on a timetable set from outside. This re-framing of a continuous humanitarian catastrophe as a 'war entering its third year' is a classic media tactic: compress a multi-generational struggle into a palatable, recent 'event.' It absolves historical
complicity, obscures the root causes of resistance, and avoids uncomfortable questions about who benefits from perpetual conflict. How many times does 'Israel's war on Gaza' need to reset the clock before the 'international community' remembers the long-established pattern of destruction, occupation, and blockade? One might think suffering only begins when mainstream cameras decide to focus.