The Press doesn’t question Israeli military propaganda tour as it comes through Grand Rapids

On Saturday, the Grand Rapids Press ran a story in the religion section about two Israeli soldiers who were in town on a speaking tour.

The Press reporter presents the two men as very human, by quoting both of them, telling readers a bit about their childhood years and their desire to live in peace. The article gives the impression that these soldiers really struggle with the difficult circumstances they find themselves in at time, since Hamas and other “Palestinian terrorist groups” hide behind civilians. “They know … we’re not going to fire,” Bernstein said. “At times it does feel like were fighting with two hands tied behind our backs.”

There is no indication from the story that the Press reporter asked any questions of the soldiers or challenged them in any way. There was no mention of the fact that the Israeli military illegally occupies the West Bank and Gaza, something the global community (besides Israel and the US) has condemned for decades.

The reporter did not ask the soldiers about the 2008/2009 Israeli assault on Gaza that killed over 1,000 Palestinian civilians, destroyed homes, hospitals and schools as was documented in the United Nations Goldstone Report.

The Press reporter also did not look into the fact that there are a group of Israeli soldiers, who, when faced with the same hard decisions as the two men who visited Grand Rapids, decided not to be deployed in the occupied territories. These soldiers are part of a group called Courage to Refuse and they provide a sharp contrast to the stories and claims made by the Israeli soldiers on tour.

The Press article does mention that these soldiers were on speaking tour through a group called Stand With Us. After reading through the Stand With Us website it seems pretty clear that this is an organized and well funded effort to win over public opinion in favor of Israel. The website paints Israel as the victim in the conflict and that when the Israel military acts it is only for the safety and security of its citizens.

One simple question that could be asked of the Press reporter and editors is if they would write a similar article about Palestinians on tour who might be speaking out against the Israeli occupation. Would they humanize the Palestinians in the same way? Would they not question the claims made by the Palestinians and would they not seek out other perspectives to provide some “balance” for its readers?