News in Pictures: A Carefully Curated Reality Show
📰 THE STORY: Al Jazeera presents a 'Week in Pictures,' a global photojournalism gallery featuring various events from Minneapolis turmoil to what it terms 'Israeli attacks on Gaza,' offering a visual summary of recent world happenings. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: Naming events simply 'Israeli attacks on Gaza' erases the 75-year history of the Nakba beginning in 1948, the
17-year illegal blockade on Gaza since 2007 that created the world's largest open-air prison, and the repeated military bombardments culminating in the ongoing 2023-2024 genocide, which has killed over 40,000 Palestinians. These are not isolated 'attacks' but continuous acts of state violence within a settler-colonial project. Double Standard: While Al Jazeera is often viewed as a more critical
outlet, even its framing can fall into passive language when describing Israeli aggression. Major Western outlets frequently describe such events using terms like 'clashes' or 'conflict,' implying two equal sides. They rarely, for instance, portray Russian bombardments of Ukraine as mere 'Russian attacks' but rather 'atrocities' or 'war crimes,' due to differing geopolitical interests and the
power of lobby groups like AIPAC in shaping Western perception and policy. Follow the Money: The underlying context of 'Israeli attacks' is heavily subsidized by Western, primarily U.S., taxpayers. The U.S. provides Israel with $3.8 billion annually in military aid, ensuring a continuous supply of advanced weaponry used in these 'attacks.' This aid, codified by successive administrations and