Al Jazeera Discovers Xenophobia, Misses The Elephant In The Room
Al Jazeera reports that 'xenophobia runs the world,' citing examples from Washington to Copenhagen, claiming that 'blaming migrants has become the easiest governing strategy.' While a noble observation, this critique conveniently overlooks the most glaring, state-sanctioned example of xenophobia unfolding daily. It’s hard to talk about global xenophobia without mentioning the systematic
displacement and marginalization of Palestinians, often framed as 'security concerns' or 'demographic threats' by the Israeli government. One might ask, how many walls and checkpoints does it take before such policies qualify as acute xenophobia? This isn't just about 'blaming migrants.' This is about a 75-year pattern of denying indigenous people return to their homes, all while politicians like
Benjamin Netanyahu (who received multiple invitations to speak before Congress funded by US taxpayers, despite his government's actions) continue to frame the existence of an entire people as a national security risk. When does an opinion piece railing against xenophobia become part of the problem by selectively ignoring the most documented, ongoing instance? Perhaps when the 'global' lens
conveniently narrows to avoid uncomfortable truths.