The usual one-sided coverage of Palestine continued in this Sunday’s New York Times. Right at the top of the front page is a large photograph of one of the four Israeli women soldiers who were just released in Gaza and returned to Israel. It is accompanied by a long article. Inside, on page 6, is another detailed report, with first-hand human interest details about the four Israeli women. The article, for instance, notes that the evening before October 7, some of the young women, who were on duty as lookouts, “were in a festive mood, sharing a Sabbath meal together, singing and saying goodbye to a team member.”
Of course, the release of these four Israelis is big news, and by any standard deserves prominence. But what has been characteristically missing has been comparable NY Times humanizing reports about the hundreds of detained Palestinians who are also being freed under the ceasefire agreement, many of whom are arguably also “hostages.”
One of the biggest recent moral and journalistic failures at the Times is how the paper is handling Israel’s arrest on December 27 of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza. In the days following Dr. Abu Safiya’s detention the whole world saw that iconic photograph of him in his white coat, as he walked, unarmed, through bombed out rubble toward an Israeli tank.
But readers of the New York Times were not shown that photo. In fact, a quick search through the paper’s archive reveals what looks like a disgusting effort to hide news about the brave doctor. Not until January 7, 11 days after his arrest, did his name resurface — in a report in which the first sentence cited an Israeli military video that charged that “militant groups had used the hospital as a command center.” This was going too far for even Times editors, who hastened to add that the paper had no independent proof of the allegation. But the insinuation remained, and Dr. Abu Safiya himself did not make an appearance until paragraph six.
Meanwhile, though, outside of the Times Dr. Abu Safiya’s arrest had triggered a global campaign of concern, especially after reports surfaced that he was being tortured. Health workers and others asked online, “Where is Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya,” and demanded that Israel free him. On January 14, Amnesty International issued an urgent appeal calling for his immediate release.
If the New York Times devoted the same moral and journalistic energy to this Palestinian doctor as it does for Israeli prisoners, here’s what would have happened by now. The paper would have deployed its enormous resources, and covered this story thoroughly, including a lengthy profile of Dr. Abu Safiya. It is true that Gaza may be dangerous to Times journalists, but people inside Gaza do have telephone service. What’s more, medical professionals, including Americans, rotate in and out of the territory, and some of them will surely know such a prominent man.
But no. Since that warped report back on January 7, the Times has not mentioned Dr. Abu Safiya one single time. On January 27, he marks a month in captivity.
By contrast, this site’s courageous Gaza-based reporter, Tareq S. Hajjaj, did a long first-hand article. Mondoweiss reporters went to Kamal Adwan Hospital and included details of the Israeli attack that the Times apparently couldn’t find space for. He also linked to an interview he had done with Dr. Abu Safiya “just days before his detention.”
Here’s just some of what Hajjaj reported:
“. . . Dr. Abu Safiya said defiantly, when asked about the attacks facing Kamal Adwan Hospital, ‘We will leave when the last Palestinian leaves northern Gaza Strip. We will stay and serve those who are here. This is a humanitarian mission, and our message to the world is that we deliver humanitarian care and should not be obstructed. We committed ourselves to providing for those in need, and we will fulfill our oath as doctors here at Kamal Adwan Hospital.”
Source : Mondoweiss
