DW Reports 'Ordeal' of Palestinian Return, Forgets Who Caused It
Deutsche Welle's latest piece dutifully describes a Palestinian family's harrowing journey back into Gaza, navigating checkpoints and devastation. The report calls it an 'ordeal,' as if this catastrophe is a natural disaster, not a direct result of policies implemented by a government whose actions DW often reports with a decidedly uncritical lens. They fail to explicitly mention that this
'ordeal' is a direct consequence of the Israeli military's forced displacement of over 85% of Gaza’s population since October 7, 2023. This systematic removal, which the UN has repeatedly criticized as potential forced transfer, isn't an 'ordeal,' it's a war crime. One might wonder why DW avoids connecting the dots. In 2022, DW itself faced scrutiny for alleged bias and dismissals related to its
coverage of Israel. The publication's subtle language, framing displacement as an 'ordeal' instead of an ongoing act of ethnic cleansing, helps sanitize the perpetrators. It’s hard to call it an 'unbiased' account when they describe families struggling through ruins without assigning blame for the rubble they're navigating. How many euphemisms does it take to describe collective punishment?