WHAT WE HEAR IS NOT WHAT THEY SEE THERE
I wanted to share with you some of my thoughts and to admit- the past couple of weeks have been very hard for me as a person, as an Israeli and as a Shlicha.
Honestly- It feels a bit funny in a way. In Israel – I never follow the news. And that is simply because EVERYONE tells you what is going on. All the time. So whether you are interested in being updated or not- you are.Here, it’s different- I spend half an hour every morning trying to catch up on everything that has been going on while I was sleeping. My country is in serious crisis, having multiple terror attacks every day, all over the state. Some address it as the “Third Intifada” (and trust me, the first 2 were more than enough). Even when I’m at work, I’m trying to keep track with the Israeli news. It is impossible.
And it is frustrating.
Not only because I have friends that were called for reserved duty, or because many people that I know don’t feel it is safe to walk in the streets anymore- but mainly, because the world is silent.
Sure, I do not expect it to make the only headlines in other countries. I don’t expect that Israel manners will be constantly debated on the international media. Yes, it is another country. And yes- it is far, and the things that are happening there do not seem to influence the everyday life outside of it.
But fact is- Israel is being debated. It is being critiqued most of the time, in a very one-sided way. And Israel is not perfect. I’ll be the first one to say it. There are many more steps to do in order to reach peace and safety in the area for all sides.
But there is a thing called balanced coverage. I’m amazed by the fact that the media is silent; the world leaders are barely heard, if at all. We’ve had dozens of people attacked, randomly on the street. Parents get shot in front of their children. A 70 year old woman stabbed at a bus stop. A couple is stabbed in Jerusalem- the husband is dead, the wife is crying for help, while a knife is stuck inside of her body by her throat, begging Arab people around to save her 2 infants that were with her- people laugh and spit at her. The first Jewish person that arrived to the scene to help her, a Rabbi, was also murdered, by the way.
It is a terrible and a quite graphic description. But this is what we don’t hear on the news. We hear that Mahmoud Abbas is telling the world that Israel had “executed” a 13 year old kid. Well, it was right after he stabbed 2 people, one of them is his own age. And actually, HE LIED. The kid is injured- he is in a hospital. An Israeli hospital, where he is being fed and receiving a medical treatment.
What I am trying to say is: take action, if you want to or think you are able to help. More than anything, your biggest help will be to spread some truth. That doesn’t mean you need to immediately publish everything the Israeli media is publishing to your social network. Check it, read the story. Check other websites (including Palestinian ones). Make sure you educate yourself in the most balanced way possible. If you feel you want to share a story- please, do so. Fighting for peace is fighting for truth, and in the world nowadays, when stories are not being heard- it is as if they have never occurred at all.
