Propaganda, State Religion and the Attack on the Gaza Peace Flotilla

Another excellent alert from Medialens: Headshot – Propaganda, State Religion and the Attack on the Gaza Peace Flotilla. It compares the media reaction to the Israeli killing of activists with the reaction towards the 2007 incident involving British sailors being detained by Iranian forces.

…media coverage of the non-violent Iranian capture of 15 British sailors (in Iranian waters) focused on the humiliating failure of the sailors to open fire in self-defence. Journalists took a very different view of the May 31 Israeli attack on the ship Mavi Marmara carrying human rights activists and supplies to the besieged population of Gaza.

In this case, the key question was not why the activists failed to open fire (they had no guns) on their approaching kidnappers, but whether they used lesser violence – hitting with sticks and poles – before the commandos opened fire killing nine people and wounding several dozen more.