The hypocrisy of fighting for Palestinian rights

The irony of Motheo Brodie’s article, in which he states that ‘Palestinians face human rights violations at the hands of the Israeli government on a daily basis,’ is that he is almost correct, save for one crucial element. It is the Palestinian government committing those human rights violations against their own people.

Unfortunately, so-called journalists or ‘experts’ like Brodie pretend to care about Palestinian suffering, but it is nothing more than virtue signalling. They purposely choose to ignore the human rights violations against ordinary Palestinian people.

Even Humans Right Watch, a group who is no friend of Israel, issued a report highlighting the systematic torture that the Palestinian authorities (both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority) routinely carry out.

One such example was back in June 2021, when more than a dozen PA Preventative Security Forces, a group who monitor political activities and threats against the PA leadership, arrested a prominent critic, Nizar Banat, and subsequently beat him to death.

Arbitrary arrests of citizens and journalists are commonplace and even the simple act of posting on Facebook can get you arrested, as in the case of Esmat Abdel Khalik who was arrested for posting derogatory remarks about PA President Mahmoud Abbas. She was held on charges of “extending her tongue” against the elected president of the PA.

Then there are the Hamas terrorist leaders of Gaza, who launch attacks on innocent civilians while hiding behind innocent civilians – a double war crime.

The examples of these human rights violations are numerous, and yet these so-called ‘defenders of justice’ will always remain quiet, illustrating their hypocrisy as they only ‘care’ about the violation of Palestinian rights if Israel is involved. The plight of Palestinians in Syria or Jordan or Lebanon, who are kept in refugee camps and refused the right to become citizens and even work, is ignored, because the true intentions of these ‘social warriors’ is not about the welfare of the Palestinians, but the demonization of the Jewish state.

This is very apparent in the article when Brodie refers to the “74-year occupation of Palestinian land.” Israel was declared a state in 1948, and what Brodie is saying is not that he doesn’t recognize the Jewish state under certain borders. He is saying that he doesn’t recognize Israel under any borders.

Then once again he goes on the usual monotonous, repetitive tirade of how Israel is an apartheid state comparing it to the old South Africa to try force a connection that isn’t, and was never, there.

This argument is a complete fabrication and does not even begin to compare to apartheid South Africa, for in Israel there are Arab judges and Arab policemen and Arabs who serve in the Army in high positions. In fact, an Arab judge even sentenced a former Israeli president to prison!

This would never have happened in South Africa, and for Brodie to suggest that these are similar situations is an insult to the real victims of apartheid South Africa.

Brodie continues his attack on the Jewish state by alleging how Israel purposely killed an Arab journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh. Shireen was tragically killed on the 11^th May 2022 during a violent episode between Israeli forces and Palestinian terrorists. Not only has no definitive evidence ever backed up the Palestinian accusations, they have also purposely done everything they can to obstruct any fair investigation. One of the most blatant actions was the refusal to hand over the bullet to Israeli authorities for forensic testing. Under enormous pressure they eventually did, but only months later in July when they handed it over to US authorities where at that stage, tests were unable to prove anything conclusively.

But that’s how the Palestinians prefer to operate – making farcical accusations that stick in the collective short-term memory of much of the world, even when they are debunked later.

However, what should be a concern to all journalists is the relentless crackdown on press freedom in the areas under the Palestinian Authority. Since the death of Nizar Banat, as mentioned above, Palestinian journalists have faced increased pressure and harassment including violence and arrests from the Palestinian Authority. The death of Banat set off many protests and journalists covering those protests were often beaten and arrested including their equipment being smashed and stolen.

The hypocrisy of the Palestinian authorities is laid bare for all to see as they accuse Israel of targeting journalists, while harassing and intimidating those who dare to report negatively about them, paying zero consideration to press freedom and the safety of journalists.

The reality of articles such as this from Motheo Brodie is that they are nothing more than manufactured fake outrage, whose goal is not to help ordinary Palestinians but to demonize Israel.

This is why the plight of ordinary Palestinians being targeted by corrupt Palestinian officials will always be ignored, unless Israel is involved.