South Africa's 'Compassion' vs. West's Convenient Amnesia
While South Africa evaluates the long-term stay of 130 Palestinians, citing compassion, the mainstream media, when not downplaying their plight, often frames the ongoing brutalization in Gaza as complex and two-sided. They rarely highlight that this 'complexity' is funded by US taxpayers, with Congress consistently approving military aid, totaling over $3 billion annually before recent escalations
. This doesn't include the latest $14 billion package for Israel, passed by the Senate in February 2024 . So, South Africa offers haven after 12 hours of bureaucratic wrangling, while the US, through its elected officials like Senator Mitch McConnell, who received $105,748 from pro-Israel groups in 2024 , ensures the conditions forcing Palestinians to flee continue unabated. The irony-free
coverage suggests a 'compassion' deficit directly proportional to the size of campaign contributions from lobbying groups.