We are reading exemplary pieces in Western media in the name of objective journalism. Here, we are not talking about the journalists and publishers who automatically see all the policies Israel implements on Palestinian territories as "right" and "legitimate." I am mentioning those who are in an effort to depict Gaza and Israel as it is, trying to use the filter of reality in the face of all the data, documents and photos overflowing from both sides. It cannot be denied that providing the Turkish and Western public with exact information is a notable approach for the path leading to peace in the Middle East. So, verifying the authenticity of the data and images that leak from Gaza to the world is crucial. For instance, the control and censor of Hamas in the pictures spreading from Gaza to the world is not a negligible possibility. A similar situation is also valid for Israel.
This is a case in which schools, mosques and even United Nations buildings are bombed. Doubtlessly all these images are loathsome. However, it is also necessary to take seriously the objections of Israel which says, "Hamas stores weapons in mosques, schools and U.N. buildings." Also, "the civilians that were killed might be Hamas members in civilian guise."
Objective journalism efforts might display that the objections on that matter are right to a certain degree. Hamas might really have stored weapons at schools, mosques, et cetera. And it is vital to know the facts. Objective journalism requires it. Thanks to objective journalism, we can tell above all that an asymmetrical war is going on, and Israel is using disproportionate force in this war. However, objectivity only displays a reality within a certain period for a specific span of time, such as a process between the moment when the first bullet was fired and today.
As we retrospectively consider the process with a historic perspective that includes political, moral, and legal principles, this objective approach cannot be said to restore the wounds; but still, it is quite noteworthy. I am afraid this objective work of journalists could also work for overshadowing political, historical, moral and humanitarian truths, and the solution it offers. There is a basic layer of reality that objective journalism would make sense of above all the verified data displayed. A politician's duty is not to neglect this reality. If this reality hints at a macro injustice, a politicians' job is to abolish it. They are not supposed to hide behind the micro facts displayed by the objectivity of journalism or sustain macro injustices.There is nothing but injustice on the macro reality layer. This layer of reality, which is being used to make us forget with micro facts, should also be considered.
Israel is in an illegal occupier of the Palestinian territories. Israel's right to protect itself is undeniable as it is a right for each state. However, every sentence uttered by Israel on that matter is also valid for Palestine. Palestine and Palestinians also have the right to protect themselves against invasions, inhumane activities and massacres, which are now being determined by Israeli politics and implemented by Israeli army. According to its one-sided policy, Israel could declare Hamas a terrorist organization. It could also legitimize all its activities by saying so. However, Hamas as a political movement emerged as a reaction to events in the Gaza Strip, which was turned into an open prison by Israel, and exposed to implementations that could be regarded as the acts set forth in the Rome Statute.
Micro facts cannot cover the fact that nothing was left between the 1967 borders and now. More importantly, they could not change the fact that millions of people have been exiled or killed since then. It should not be allowed for the trivial facts to cause great injustices anymore.
About the author
Osman Can is a Law Professor and Reporting Judge at the Turkish Constitutional Court. He holds a PhD from the University of Cologne, Germany.
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