“Innocent until proven guilty” was a term coined by Sir William Garrow, a British barrister in 1791. From the sixth century Roman law and in Christian tradition is is stated, “Ei incumbit probatio qui dicit, non qui nega.” According to the Talmud and Jewish tradition, “Every man is innocent until proven guilty.” According to Moslem tradition and Islamic law “The onus is on the proof of the accuser.” The fourth Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib was also quoted as saying, “Avert the prescribed punishment by rejecting doubtful evidence.” Thus, an agreement by these three major faiths on this essential tenet. And yet…..
When a missile hit a hospital in Gaza on October 17th, 2023 Hamas (the terrorist organization that started this war), the NY Times, the governments of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and others could not blame Israel quickly enough. Both Jordan and the Palestinian Authority refused to meet with President Joseph Biden during his visit to the region on October 18th due to this “Israeli aggression.” What about this concept of “Innocent until proven guilty.” Apparently it does not matter in the media. A fact check revealed the “attack” on the hospital was actually an errant missile fired by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas that went off course. Nevertheless, it achieved its aim which was none other than to erroneously blame Israel for striking civilians and injured parties when, in fact, nothing could be further from the truth.
People for Israel has no media department, and we have so “skin in the game” when it comes to reckless reporting. Nevertheless, victim shaming has become an all-too-common phenomenon in society today, regardless of the subject. Let us not lose sight of the facts. Israel was attacked by vicious terrorists on one of their holiest days of the year. While it may not be our role to track media accuracy, when the NY Times, other leading publications and major governments jump on the bandwagon of victim shaming and blame Israel for the actions of Hamas, they have lost their moral compass. Moreover, their attempt to blame Israel for this outrageous attack on Palestinian civilians – which was a direct result of their decision to fire missiles at Israel from civilian sites – is a disgusting attempt to change the narrative of this war.
We, at People for Israel, will continue to provide for those in need all over Israel and while we cannot watch the non-stop media coverage when so many are in need, we will call out attempts to victim shame those that have suffered at the hands of Hamas. The evolution of the NY Times coverage – as the facts became clear – appears below. Meanwhile, no apology has come from any of the governmental parties.
