Guardian cries for Barghouti, ignores his terror victims: Bias by the numbers.

In Beaumont's universe, sympathy is evoked for Palestinian terrorists and their families; Israelis who express outrage about such crimes are dismissed as hyperbolic "right-wingers"; Israeli terror victims themselves are invisible, whilst the ongoing suffering of bereaved family members is ignored.

Today, Guardian Jerusalem correspondent Peter Beaumont published an article (appearing in The Observer, sister publication of the Guardian) titled “Wife of jailed Fatah leader tells of her fears of the hunger strikers”.  The piece focused on the ongoing hunger strike by Palestinian prisoners, including Marwan Barghouti.  

Barghouti is a convicted terrorist who was one of the Palestinian leaders of the 2nd Intifada’s campaign of suicide bombings and shootings in the early 2000s. He was convicted in 2002 on five counts of murder of innocent civilians, but was likely responsible for many more killings. Crimes orchestrated by Barghouti include: The murder of Greek monk Tsibouktsakis Germanus in Jerusalem on June 12, 2001; the murder of Yoela Hen in Jerusalem on January 15, 2002; and the murder of Eli Dahan, Yosef Habi, and Salim Barakat in Tel Aviv on March 5, 2002.

Bereaved families at the opening of the trial of Marwan Barghouti at a Tel Aviv court, 2002. (Photo, GPO)

The bulk of Beaumont’s article, however, focuses on the fears of Barghouti’s wife, Fadwa Barghouti, and the hardship faced by all of the hunger striking prisoners and their families.  To garner some insight into the 1300 word article, here’s a brief analysis of the text (a word count) to demonstrate the skewed priorities. (The numbers below represent total number of words used in sentences devoted to the particular topic indicated.)

The number represents total number of words used in sentences devoted to the particular topic indicated.

Also noteworthy in the article is this egregious example of the ubiquitous ‘Some say he’s a terrorist, while others say…’ media narrative on Barghouti:

In the rhetoric of right-wing Israeli ministers and commentators, Barghouti is a “murderer and terrorist” who some say should have been executed. To many Palestinians he is a hero, sometimes compared to Nelson Mandela….

In Beaumont’s universe, sympathy is evoked for Palestinian terrorists and their families; Israelis who express outrage about such crimes are dismissed as hyperbolic “right-wingers”; Israeli terror victims themselves are invisible, whilst the ongoing suffering of bereaved family members is ignored. 

As we approach Yom Hazikaron (Israel’s Memorial Day for honouring fallen soldiers and terror victims), this glaring double standard in empathy is especially difficult to ignore – for Israelis and diaspora Jews for sure, but also for anyone offended by the far-left’s broader propensity to blur the moral distinction between terror victim and perpetrator.

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