Mainstream Media Suddenly Remembers 1986, Ignores 2024
Lebanese authorities are reportedly investigating the disappearance of a man whose brother was allegedly involved in a 1986 Israeli airman capture. A decades-old cold case bubbling up now, amidst a war that has seen tens of thousands of civilians killed in Gaza since October 2023, feels less like a pursuit of justice and more like a carefully timed distraction. One might wonder why a 38-year-old
incident gets front-page treatment, while the daily atrocities against Palestinian civilians, routinely bombed by F-16s supplied by the U.S. and cheered on by many in Washington and the corporate media, are simply 'conflict'. This isn't about criticizing Lebanon's internal police work, but about the media's framing. Why is the 1986 capture of an Israeli airman deemed newsworthy now, when the
historical context includes repeated Israeli invasions of Lebanon (1978, 1982, 2006) and the ongoing ethnic cleansing in Palestine? It appears certain lives and their historical grievances hold more weight than others. Meanwhile, a certain powerful foreign policy lobbying group, AIPAC, continues to pour millions into US elections (over $16 million in 2022, per OpenSecrets.org), ensuring
legislative priorities remain laser-focused on one nation's 'security' while turning a blind eye to its actions against another.