Socialist Viewpoint

When it was first reported by the Palestinians and other eyewitnesses that this little Palestinian boy was beaten, then used as a human shield by the IDF [Israeli Defense Force], the IDF and the Israelis refuted the report and called it baseless. Then they said that it was “not the policy of the IDF” to do such things and that they “would investigate.” Unbeknownst to the IDF, there happened to be someone with a camera who had taken a picture of this obscenity.

The Washington Times, following a long line of American media, which parrots Israeli claims rather than reporting the actual news, questioned the very existence of this photo. One could only imagine the propaganda mileage that the Israelis and their apologists here in the U.S. could have gotten from such a photo if it portrayed the Palestinians in a bad light…. In this case, there happened to be a photographer present plus a Rabbi to corroborate the abhorrent and criminal treatment of Palestinians at the hands of the IDF. I cringe when I think about the many other cases that are never mentioned nor reported in the world media of the frequent abuses of Palestinians, especially in areas where the press and non-Palestinians are not allowed access. Will the U.S. say something about this? I am not holding my breath because we all know the answer to that! The lives of Palestinians and Arabs, in the eyes of the U.S. Media, are not deemed to be as valuable as those of Jews.

Will you have the moral courage and integrity to publish this photo and report on the abhorrent treatment of the Palestinians at the hands of the Israelis?

Arik Asherman is a spokesperson for Rabbis for Human Rights in Israel. He was arrested for attempting to intervene when he saw the boy tied to the jeep. Rabbi Ackerman had also witnessed the boy being beaten just before the incident.