{"id":103280,"date":"2017-12-11T12:00:40","date_gmt":"2017-12-11T12:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=103280"},"modified":"2017-12-10T19:32:46","modified_gmt":"2017-12-10T19:32:46","slug":"after-trumps-jerusalem-move-media-worry-about-violence-not-violation-of-international-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2017\/12\/after-trumps-jerusalem-move-media-worry-about-violence-not-violation-of-international-law\/","title":{"rendered":"After Trump\u2019s Jerusalem Move, Media Worry about \u2018Violence\u2019\u2013Not Violation of International Law"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/CBS-Jerusalem-Capital-610x631-palestine-israel.png\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-103281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/CBS-Jerusalem-Capital-610x631-palestine-israel.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"414\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/CBS-Jerusalem-Capital-610x631-palestine-israel.png 610w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/CBS-Jerusalem-Capital-610x631-palestine-israel-290x300.png 290w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><strong><em>CBS News<\/em><\/strong><em> (<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/violence-feared-amid-talk-of-recognizing-jerusalem-as-israels-capital\/\" >12\/5\/17<\/a>), like other outlets, stressed the threat of violence over the illegality of occupation.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>8 Dec 2017 &#8211; <\/em>President Donald Trump declared that the US saw Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and announced the US would move its Israeli embassy there\u2014reversing decades of policy and removing any pretense of US neutrality in negotiating \u201cpeace\u201d between Palestinians and Israelis.<\/p>\n<p>Though both \u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.politifact.com\/truth-o-meter\/statements\/2017\/dec\/06\/donald-trump\/donald-trump-correct-about-history-jerusalem-embas\/\" >Congress<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.wideasleepinamerica.com\/2016\/03\/trump-jerusalem-embassy-pander-history.html\" >past presidents of both parties<\/a> have supported the move in principle for decades, much of the US media establishment is now fretting about the Jerusalem announcement, continuing to push the illusion that a nebulous \u201cpeace deal\u201d is still right around the next watchtower.<\/p>\n<p>The American \u201crecognition\u201d of Jerusalem as Israel\u2019s capital further entrenches and condones Israel\u2019s occupation, ethnic cleansing and colonization of Palestinian land. But outlets like the <strong>New York Times<\/strong>, <strong>Washington Post<\/strong> and <strong>CBS<\/strong>, in editorials and straight reporting, downplayed and skirted matters of substance, reserving critical attention for questions of optics or process.<\/p>\n<p>Thus the frame that dominated headlines as news of Trump\u2019s announcement broke was not on the meaning of the move, but on potential reaction to it, specifically vague \u201cfears of violence\u201d from Palestinians and Muslims throughout the Middle East:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cFears of Violence Amid Talk of Recognizing Jerusalem as Israel\u2019s Capital\u201d (<strong>CBS News<\/strong>, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/violence-feared-amid-talk-of-recognizing-jerusalem-as-israels-capital\/\" >12\/5\/17<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cTrump\u2019s Jerusalem Announcement Could Spark Violence, State Department Warns\u201d (<strong>Daily Beast<\/strong>, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/trumps-jerusalem-announcement-could-spark-violence-state-department-warns\" >12\/6\/17<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cWarnings of Violence Ahead of Trump\u2019s Jerusalem Embassy Move\u201d (<strong>The Week<\/strong>, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.theweek.co.uk\/80158\/warnings-of-violence-ahead-of-trump-s-jerusalem-embassy-move\" >12\/6\/17<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cTrump Says US Recognizes Jerusalem as Israel\u2019s Capital, Despite Global Condemnation; World Leaders Warned Trump That the Move Could Spark Violence and Would Create a Major Impediment to the Israeli\/Palestinian Peace Process\u201d (<strong>Politico<\/strong>, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2017\/12\/06\/trump-move-embassy-jerusalem-israel-reaction-281973\" >12\/6\/17<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Editorials in the<strong> Washington Post<\/strong> (\u201cpossibly trigger violence, including against Americans\u201d\u2014<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/global-opinions\/trumps-jerusalem-move-is-a-major-risk\/2017\/12\/06\/a63379e4-daae-11e7-b1a8-62589434a581_story.html?utm_term=.862bacd31c25\" >12\/6\/17<\/a>) and the <strong>New York Times<\/strong> (\u201cperhaps inciting violence\u201d\u2014<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2017\/12\/05\/opinion\/does-president-trump-want-to-negotiate-middle-east-peace.html\" >12\/5\/17<\/a>) used similar language. Neither opposed Trump\u2019s recognition of Jerusalem or Israel\u2019s brutal, illegal occupation of East Jerusalem as such. Both had lots of Concerns\u2122 and leveled minor critiques on process grounds (the most popular being that the move could \u201charm\u201d peace efforts), but neither of the two leading papers in the United States could bring themselves to condemn Trump for his radical departure from US policy and international law in and of itself.<\/p>\n<p>This is often the case when it comes to Israel\/Palestine: Media focus is on the reaction to injustice, not on the injustice itself. The illegality of Israel\u2019s occupation of East Jerusalem is rarely mentioned. Nor is the fact that the United States is now virtually alone out of the 195 countries on Earth in recognizing Jerusalem as Israel\u2019s capital, or that the city has been, and is <em>still<\/em>, designated by the United Nations as a <em>corpus separatum<\/em> since 1947; that is, a separate territory under international jurisdiction. (The <strong>Economist<\/strong>\u2014<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.economist.com\/news\/middle-east-and-africa\/21732093-campaign-promise-kept-problem-aggravated-world-reacts-donald-trumps\" >12\/7\/17<\/a>\u2014was one of the few who did point this out.) Likewise ignored are the UN Security Council\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/undocs.org\/S\/RES\/252(1968)\" >repeated<\/a> <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/unispal.un.org\/DPA\/DPR\/unispal.nsf\/0\/DDE590C6FF232007852560DF0065FDDB\" >condemnations<\/a> of Israel\u2019s 1967 annexation of East Jerusalem and its 1980 declaration of the city as its capital, on the grounds that \u201cacquisition of territory by military conquest is inadmissible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The broader context of the 60-year military occupation is likewise out of the picture, along with the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2017\/06\/04\/israel-50-years-occupation-abuses\" >dozens of international laws<\/a> Israel breaks on a daily basis. Many of these relate directly to Jerusalem, including the expulsion of residents from the occupied territory of East Jerusalem and the transfer of hundreds of thousands of colonists there since 1967.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/NBC-Middle-East-On-Edge-610x257-jerusalem-israel-palestine.png\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-103282\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/NBC-Middle-East-On-Edge-610x257-jerusalem-israel-palestine.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"211\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/NBC-Middle-East-On-Edge-610x257-jerusalem-israel-palestine.png 610w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/NBC-Middle-East-On-Edge-610x257-jerusalem-israel-palestine-300x126.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><strong><em>NBC News<\/em><\/strong><em> (<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/trump-jerusalem-uproar-middle-east-braces-violent-protests-n827301\" >12\/7\/17<\/a>) depicts a burning Trump poster.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The primary focus is, instead, the possibility of \u201cfresh violence in the region,\u201d which evokes tropes of mindless Arab rage and <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/international\/archive\/2017\/12\/trump-announcement-jerusalem-israel-capital-muslim-violence\/547652\/\" >barbarity<\/a>. As Marya Hannun explained over at <strong>Slate <\/strong>(<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.slate.com\/articles\/news_and_politics\/foreigners\/2017\/12\/the_response_to_trump_s_jerusalem_declaration_has_focused_too_much_on_the.html\" >12\/6\/17<\/a>), when we center \u201cangry Arab\u201d cliches, we perpetuate the notion that violence is the alpha and omega of resistance:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>There is also a more insidious message being sent by warnings about the potential for a \u201cthird intifada\u201d in response to President Trump\u2019s recognition of Jerusalem, one that has long haunted, not just the conflict over Palestine and Israel, but also other instances where human rights, civil rights and sovereignty are violated. When we focus on violence as the only preventive force against unjust policies, we reinforce the notion that violence is the only effective means of resistance. Perhaps more often than not, these assessments prove to be accurate, but it\u2019s a dangerous game, and only aids those who see no point in working toward peace at all.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>By leading with warnings of a \u201cMiddle East on edge\u201d (<strong>NBC News<\/strong>, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/trump-jerusalem-uproar-middle-east-braces-violent-protests-n827301\" >12\/7\/17<\/a>), where \u201cPalestinians Vent Their Anger\u201d (<strong>New York Times<\/strong>, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2017\/12\/07\/world\/middleeast\/israel-palestinian-jerusalem.html\" >12\/7\/17<\/a>) and \u201cclashes escalate\u201d (<strong>Washington Post<\/strong>, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/hamas-calls-for-uprising-as-palestinians-protest-trumps-jerusalem-stance\/2017\/12\/07\/ecee91e0-daca-11e7-a241-0848315642d0_story.html?utm_term=.1c45dab8f736\" >12\/7\/17<\/a>; <strong>BBC<\/strong>, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-middle-east-42265337\" >12\/7\/17<\/a>), the media double down on dangerous stereotypes, marginalize legitimate frustration and resistance, and obfuscate history in favor of the ever-convenient, shoulder-shrugging, \u201cthey\u2019ll just never get along\u201d narrative.<\/p>\n<p>No mention of redoubling of efforts of the growing <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bdsmovement.net\/\" >Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS)<\/a> movement, or other civil-society efforts to resist Israel aggression. No mention of calls for solidarity by Palestinian activists. A singular focus on violence (albeit violence that, it should be noted, is <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/972mag.com\/on-the-palestinians-legal-right-to-fight-the-occupation\/30855\/\" >sanctioned by international law<\/a>) reduces Palestinians to cartoon hotheads rather than a deeply disenfranchised population suffering decades of displacement, discrimination and occupation, while the most powerful country on the planet condones, funds and arms their continued dehumanization.<\/p>\n<p>_____________________________________________<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Adam-Johnson-e1502798113526.jpeg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-97104\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Adam-Johnson-e1502798113526.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Adam Johnson is a contributing analyst for <\/em>FAIR.org.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/fair.org\/home\/after-trumps-jerusalem-move-media-worry-about-violence-not-violation-of-international-law\/\" >Go to Original \u2013 fair.org<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><em>Join the<\/em><\/strong><strong><em> BDS-BOYCOTT, DIVESTMENT, SANCTIONS <\/em><\/strong><strong><em>campaign<\/em><\/strong><\/span> to protest the Israeli barbaric siege of Gaza, illegal occupation of the Palestine nation\u2019s territory, the apartheid wall, its inhuman and degrading treatment of the Palestinian people, and the more than 7,000 Palestinian men, women, elderly and children arbitrarily locked up in Israeli prisons.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>DON&#8217;T BUY<\/strong> <strong>PRODUCTS WHOSE<\/strong> <strong>BARCODE<\/strong><strong> STARTS WITH<\/strong> <strong>729<\/strong>, which indicates that it is produced in Israel.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <strong>DO YOUR PART! MAKE A DIFFERENCE!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>7 2 9: BOYCOTT FOR JUSTICE!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>8 Dec 2017 &#8211; The frame that dominated headlines as news of Trump\u2019s announcement broke was not on the meaning of the move but on potential vague \u201cfears of violence\u201d from Palestinians and Muslims throughout the Middle East. This is often the case when it comes to Israel\/Palestine: Media focus is on the reaction to injustice, not on the injustice itself. The illegality of Israel\u2019s occupation of East Jerusalem is rarely mentioned.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":97104,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-103280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103280","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103280"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103280\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}