MSNBC Host Ayman Mohyeldin interviewed Israeli ambassador Mark Regev. The substance of the interview illustrates why diversity in the news is important for us all.
Ayman Mohyeldin does what journalists do
I had to do a double-take on this one. Usually, there is a constant in how the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is covered. Having Ayman Mohyeldin, a reporter yoked in the Middle East, interviewing subjects in the conflict, gives a much more rounded picture of the conflict.
Too often, all Palestinians are treated like vicious terrorists, and Israelis like the benevolent peace and democracy-loving victims of Palestinian aggression. One does not need to pick one side. In fact, one should not pick a side because of the complexity of the issue. Most average Palestinians and Israelis want to exist and live a fruitful, pleasurable life. But the populations become pawns of those affecting power and those indoctrinating subjects to be allies to fight for the position of the indoctrinator.
Coverage in the United States tends to deny the humanity of Palestinians. The reality is that Gaza is the largest open-air prison. And as Martin Luther King made clear, “a riot is the language of the unheard.” Every time there are skirmishes between Palestinians and Israelis, it is important to compare the deaths, casualties, and destruction on both sides. It is always lopsided, and the carnage onesided. Yet, with the assistance of our biased media, we continue to assign inhumane behavior to one side.
Is it so difficult to understand that the violence from the Israeli military is not proportionate to the attacks they face? Worse, is it hard to understand that often these attacks are provoked by racist settlers allowed to steal homesteads?
What Ayman Mohyeldin did in this interview is provide context. He did not allow the Israeli political propaganda to go unabated. More importantly, he refuted the ambassador in real-time with the realities all could see.
Like one is not anti-Palestinian when calling them out for bad acts, one is not anti-Israeli for doing the same. At this time in history, Israel has its boot on the necks of the average Palestinians. It would seem that if we took a more objective and moral position, we could have a solution once and for all for the Palestinian/Israeli conflict.