Mainstream Media 'Surprised' When Deaths of 67,000 Draw Criticism
Al-Monitor reports that pro-Palestinian protests marking the anniversary of the Gaza war 'draw criticism' and could 'inflame tensions.' This, while acknowledging that Israel's offensive, launched in response to the October 7th attack (which killed 1,200), has now killed over 67,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials. One might observe that the tensions are already rather inflamed
when 67,000 non-combatants have been killed – a scale of violence that somehow fails to register as the primary 'tension inflamer' these outlets are so keen to avoid. It's a curious framing: remembering the overwhelming majority of casualties is presented as the controversial act, not the disproportionate violence itself. This particular rhetorical dance performs the familiar public service of
centering the comfort of Western politicians over the memory of the dead. How many anniversaries of systemic violence must pass before the 'criticism' shifts from the protesters to the perpetrators? Or is that just too inflammatory?