On Thursday, February 18, the Santa Fe New Mexican once again used an Associated Press (AP) wire feed about Israel and the Palestinians entitled, “After delay, Israel allows vaccines into Gaza Strip” (see below for full text). This article perpetuates the ongoing newest anti-Jewish blood libel propaganda by the Palestinians claiming that Israel is purposefully withholding vaccine from the Palestinians (see our blog posting on this from January 12, 2021).
TAKE ACTION – using one or more of the “talking points” below, write a letter to the editor or My View (send to: letters@sfnewmexican.com or use their online form) correcting the record and telling the New Mexican to stop using the biased AP for its international coverage of the Palestinian conflict with Israel.
Suggestions on how to be a more effective letter or op-ed writer can be found on our website here.
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Talking Points:
The article sets up several false assumptions as follows:
- False Assumption: Members of Knesset (“Israeli lawmakers” in the article) hold sway over Israeli decisions about the movement of health-related goods into Gaza. We have legislators in the US who express opinions different from the administration all of the time, but we would hope the media would recognize that individual MK – or even party – dissent does not make for the implementation of Israeli policy.
- False Assumption: The shipment of Russian-developed Sputnik V vaccine was “held up” for 2 days from entering Gaza, therefore making a significant difference in the Gaza coronavirus number of cases or recovery. As the article notes, Gaza already had 538 deaths and 53,000 cases over the past year. If you believe these numbers (likely an undercount), then the infection rate is ~2.65%, the population death rate due to COVID is 0.02%, and the Gaza case fatality rate (CFR) is 1.02%. Overall this compares favorably with the worldwide numbers: infection rate – 1.4%, population death rate – 0.03%, and CFR – 2.2%. There are always difficulties in comparing epidemic numbers, of course, because of reporting accuracy, different population make-up (e.g., Gaza strip has ~64% under age 25), political considerations, etc.
- False Assumption: Freeing Israeli captives and remains of Israeli soldiers – part of the discussion of the MKs and Netanyahu – is less important and of lower priority than releasing the 2,000 vaccine doses (for 1,000 people) that were held up for 2 days. The 2-day delay of the 1,000 vaccine-caused reduction of COVID cases when the full 2-dose vaccinations are given and have taken effect will likely have no effect on the Gaza COVID rate, but even if it did have some effect, given the relative COVID infection rate since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, it would reduce at most 26 COVID cases in the longterm, and prevent at most one death. Yet Hamas has held two Israelis captive since 2014. This has had a tremendous negative effect on the captives, their families, and the nation as a whole. Utilitarian ethics clearly permits a discussion about trading the delayed doses to release the captives. In fact one could argue it would be immoral not to have such a discussion.
- False Assumption: The 2-day delay of the 2000 doses was more harmful than the fact that Hamas had not done their own lockdown, excused by the article because Gaza “is already mired in poverty.” This statement by the journalists is misleading: Gaza did enforce certain public health measures. At the same time, Hamas should be blamed for the poor COVID response re: travel restrictions, not Israel. Further, does this “poverty” excuse mean that all countries that have poverty should not take proper public health measures? Much more effect would have been achieved from a full public health approach than a 2-day delay in vaccine doses. Israel made it clear to the Palestinians that if they wanted help with obtaining and distributing vaccines Israel was quite willing to assist. But Hamas and the Palestinian Authority refused to ask or accept help.
- False Assumption: The 2 day hold-up contributes to “…causing global inequality in the rollout of vaccines.” As we noted in a prior January 12, 2021 blog posting, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas refused to ask Israel for any help prior to this episode. Now the AP is parroting the PA/Hamas blood libel further by claiming this 2-day hold-up was Israel again damaging the Gaza Strip’s health. Israel’s 2- day delay doesn’t compare to the lack of proper lockdown public health measures Hamas did not take, or to Hamas’ leadership malfeasance not asking for vaccines from Israel.
- False Assumption: Gaza’s COVID case load has been very high because of the Israeli-Egyptian blockade, which has been in place since 2007 when Hamas took over the strip. Hamas could have asked Russia to send these vaccines through Egypt – but Hamas knew it would be even harder to deliver them through the Gaza-Egyptian border. Egypt has a tight border with Gaza for many reasons, among them Iran’s hegemony of supporting ISIS-type terrorist groups in the Sinai desert. Even so, as noted by one “rights group,” relief.int,
Paradoxically, the blockade of Gaza may have helped delay the virus from spreading in the strip. The tightly controlled movement in and out of Gaza allowed for early detection of COVID-19 cases and a mandatory quarantine.
- False Assumption: “Israel and Hamas have fought three wars.” This seemingly balanced and unbiased “factual” statement is severely misleading in the way this is worded: those 3 wars were started by Hamas attacks on Israeli soverign territory.
- False Assumption: The vaccines would indeed be used the way the Hamas spokesman says it would be. Even though there is tremendous corruption among the Hamas leadership and bureaucratic infrastructure? Will the AP do a follow-up to determine if the vaccine was indeed delivered to “vulnerable patients and then health care workers?” Or did it go to the corrupt Hamas leadership?
- False Assumption: “Rights groups” are unbiased in their declarations, or interpret international law fairly. Most rights groups misinterpret international law or ignore components that aren’t convenient to their ideological positions. For example, as we noted in our January 12 blog posting, the Palestinians explicitly took on the obligation to vaccinate its own people through Article 17, Section 2 of the Oslo Accords. Of course, often if international law does not support the “rights groups” ideological positions, they then resort to claiming a moral position related to compassion and goodwill – something they don’t argue related to the Palestinians fulfilling their own obligations. In this article the “Rights groups say [Israel] has an obligation as an occupying power to share its vaccines with the Palestinians.” This is false – as noted previously, the Oslo Accords require the Palestinians to vaccinate their population. Even in the case of a pandemic there must be cooperation/coordination with Israel, which the PA and Hamas have rejected regarding coronavirus – the PA is against “normalization” with Israel, and Hamas is opposed to the existence of Israel.
- False Assumption: Israel is an “occupying power” of Gaza. Israel has not “occupied” the Gaza Strip since 2005. Hamas took power of the Gaza Strip in 2007 when it fought a war against the Palestinian Authority. The Israeli-Egyptian blockade is related to Hamas’ continually taking actions against Israel: launching missiles and incendiary balloons, trying to infilitrate by building tunnels, launching naval operations, or sending terrorists through other means.
Note that the New Mexican print version left off three paragraphs of the online version. These three paragraphs provide important and appropriate context and explanation for some of Israel’s stance. We doubt that print edition readers will go to the online version and read the whole article. Another talking point: Take the editor to task for failing to provide this important information in the printed version. If the New Mexican editor is going to drop off or edit the AP then he should consider removing the factually incorrect or misleading paragraphs, while keeping paragraphs like the last three.
Note also that SFMEW and the Jewish Federation of New Mexico several times have urged the New Mexican to use more balanced wire services than the Associated Press. We have documented for the editor, Phill Casaus, several AP articles he has printed as “news” (not opinion) that have had factual errors, or lacked context for the reader and were misleading. In the past we have provided him with the critique that Matti Friedman made of the AP in The Atlantic magazine back in 2014, “What the Media gets wrong about Israel.”
[Friedman repeated some of his media critique when he spoke in Santa Fe in September, 2019. Unfortunately the New Mexican did not cover that event, which SFMEW co-sponsored with the main sponsor, the Santa Fe Jewish Film Festival.]
Original Article in the New Mexican
After delay, Israel allows vaccines into Hamas-run Gaza
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israel allowed the Palestinian Authority to deliver the first coronavirus vaccines to the Gaza Strip on Wednesday despite objections from Israeli lawmakers who suggested they be used as a bargaining chip for the release of captives held by the territory’s militant Hamas rulers.
Israel has faced international criticism for largely excluding Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza from its highly successful vaccination campaign. It held up the shipment for two days as the government faced questioning from a parliamentary committee before ultimately approving it.
The dispute highlights the Palestinians’ reliance on Israel even as they struggle to combat the pandemic on their own. It’s also a potent example of global inequality in the rollout of vaccines, most of which have been scooped up by wealthy countries.
The shipment finally arrived midday Wednesday at the Kerem Shalom crossing. Palestinian Health Minister Mai Alkaila said the PA sent 2,000 doses of the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine — enough to inoculate only 1,000 people in an impoverished territory that is home to 2 million Palestinians.
Gaza has been under a crippling Israeli-Egyptian blockade since Hamas, an Islamic militant group, seized power from Palestinian forces in 2007. Gaza’s Health Ministry has reported more than 53,000 cases and at least 538 deaths since the start of the pandemic, and authorities have been reluctant to impose widespread lockdowns because the territory is already mired in poverty.
Israel and Hamas have fought three wars and numerous skirmishes since the militant group took control of Gaza.
In an interview Wednesday with Israel’s army radio station, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was working on bringing captive Israelis back from Gaza, but he did not link the issue to vaccines. He noted the vaccines were from Palestinian supplies and said it was important Palestinians be vaccinated because the virus can easily cross into Israel.
“This is not from Israeli supplies,” he said. “I am committed to bringing back the prisoners and the missing in action at any price. We are working on this these days, but the epidemiological issue is not connected.”
During Monday’s parliamentary debate, Zvi Hauser, chairman of the foreign affairs and defense committee, argued that the vaccine delivery should be linked to progress on the release of two Israeli captives held by Hamas and the remains of two Israeli soldiers killed in a 2014 war. He also expressed concern that vaccines would go to Hamas members rather than medics.
Ahmad Tibi, an Arab member of parliament, called the discussion “shameful,” saying: “In 20 years, your children will also be ashamed of this position of vaccination prevention.”
The Palestinian Authority said the first doses would go to front-line medical workers. But Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesman for the Gaza Health Ministry, said they would be given to vulnerable patients and then health care workers.
“The amount is very small and not enough to cover all 12,000 medical workers,” he said. “We think it’s better to first inoculate vulnerable patients, such as organ transplant and dialysis patients.”
The ministry said vaccinations would begin Sunday due to inclement winter weather that could make it dangerous for patients to travel to hospitals.
Israel has launched one of the world’s most successful vaccination programs, inoculating more than a third of its population of 9.3 million since December after securing millions of doses from pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Moderna.
Rights groups say it has an obligation as an occupying power to share its vaccines with the Palestinians. Israel captured east Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza in the 1967 war, territories the Palestinians want for their future state.
Israel denies having such an obligation and says its priority is its own citizens. It is vaccinating Palestinian residents of annexed east Jerusalem, which it considers part of its capital. Israel withdrew troops from Gaza in 2005, and it says the Palestinian Authority is responsible for health care in the territories it administers according to interim peace agreements.
[The following 3 paragraphs are included in the online version from 2/17/21, but were not part of the printed edition.]:
The Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the occupied West Bank, has not publicly requested vaccines from Israel and says it has secured its own supply through the World Health Organization and agreements with drug makers.
Still, Israel provided 2,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine to the PA earlier this month, allowing it to begin vaccinating medical workers, and the PA says it independently acquired 10,000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine.
Hamas is believed to be holding two captives, an Israeli of Ethiopian descent who entered Gaza shortly after the 2014 war, and an Arab Bedouin citizen of Israel. In exchange, Hamas is likely to demand the release of a large number of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, including individuals implicated in deadly attacks.
Israel leads the world in vaccinating its population. Instead of blaming them for actions for which they are not responsible, they should be lauded for protecting their population – Jewish and Arab alike.
SFMEW is a beneficiary agency of the Jewish Federation of New Mexico.