Western publics are being subjected to a campaign of psychological warfare, where genocide is classed as ‘self-defence’ and opposition to it ‘terrorism’
We in the West kid ourselves that we live in democracies and that we occupy such moral high ground that we have a duty to spread democracy around the world.
Apart from yourself and other independent journalists, that ‘holding power to account’ pillar of democracy is non-existent.
Until we who oppose the Genocide in Palestine stand in Solidarity with all those who openly stand and resist the fascist onslaught by the state the press or any other means then it's just empty gestures. It's time we stood up and stated that we support all forms of resistance from Palestine to our own streets . I don't know what more can be done other than say that I Support the Resistance to this Genocide I stand with the journalists who speak the Truth , I've been on marches and I support all who protest alas it falls on deaf ears ,I'm tired of crying it's time to get angry
Living in the UK and watching Aljazeera News has been an eye opener , to say the least . To say I feel my entire life shaped by what I read and see on the BBC and the UKs Press ,has been so sheltered to the point of being mind controlled .
If you watch the BBC ITV to a slightly lesser extent Channel 4 I have awoken to the fact that the knowledge I thought I had and the amount of censorship I believed our FREE PRESS came under was totally wrong .
The Slaughter of Gaza is not on the masses minds in the UK because they don’t see or hear of it ? One or two lines on the radio news or almost a byline on the TV news doesn’t inform anyone of the Genocide our Government is co conducting under our nose . How many come here to read articles of such Merit compared to the absolute pap they are fed on our mainstream media ?
Jonathan, thank you for this incredible piece. I would go further and say there is a complete war on truth. We are meant to be so submerged and controlled that any objective truth that does not serve the government's narrative, must be erased. Kill the truth-tellers and imprison them in the mantra.
You speak of journalists and media being complicit in their silence, however the situation - legally and in the UK in particular is much worse than people realise. Have a look at this if you have time. Actually, I'd implore you to:
I suggest that one doesn’t get promoted to the top corporate and media jobs amongst those identifying as Jewish, unless one is a Zionist. Indeed in 2020, the top 2 leaders of British Jewry, Simon Schaema and Lord Robert Winston plus Harold 'blood libel' Jacobsen signed a letter saying; “We are committed Zionists and passionately outspoken friends of Israel.’
I’m well aware of the resentment in pre-war Germany over Jewish people who seemed to have a lot of money and influence. However, that should not prevent us saying we find it unfair how disproportionately those identifying as Jewish are represented in those rich enough to lobby government and in the top influential, media jobs in the UK.
Even more so now that we find out that they all appear to be supporters of a genocide.
Judaism does not equal Zionism but it seems to be very clear from what they have said that all the lobbying, visible, influential Judaism followers in the UK are, in fact, Zionists.
"Winstanley is not the first journalist to be accused of falling foul of the Terrorism Act. In recent weeks, Richard Medhurst, a freelance journalist, was arrested at Heathrow airport on his return from a trip abroad. Another journalist-activist, Sarah Wilkinson, was briefly arrested after her home was ransacked by police. Their electronic devices were seized too."
This is a clear as day warning to anyon writing about Palestine. Make a frequent backup of all your work, and keep it in a place they will never look.
"Sky News seemed not to understand that these were not British soldiers, and that there was no reason for a British audience to be especially disturbed by their deaths. Soldiers are killed in wars all the time – it is an occupational hazard."
Yes, it's an occupational hazard. I love double entendres.
"Its editors recently censored a commentary by preeminent Palestinian author Susan Abulhawa after she insisted on being allowed to refer to the slaughter in Gaza as "the holocaust of our times".
How dare she use the word Holocaust™. That's a copyright infringement, as Jonathan Friedland explains.
Senior Guardian columnists such as Jonathan Freedland made much during Jeremy Corbyn’s tenure as leader of the Labour party that Jews, and Jews alone, had the right to define and name their own oppression.
We have been living in a 1984 world for at least four decades. For some reason I knew back then that it would some day come to this.
Thank you Jonathan. Excellent article and analysis; critical topic, book in the making.
Ironically, in the eighties and nineties and early 2000’s U.S. embassies in the Arab World used to offer various types of ‘journalist workshops’ supposedly to promote ‘accuracy’ in the local media. We would invite mainstream American journalists or faculty from journalism schools to lead the workshops.
The so-called strategic goal for these workshops was to teach/inform the Arab journalists how to write straightforward news, including news about USG-led wars, Iraq, etc., and not be biased or editorialize on such topics. I don’t know or remember the British or French embassies doing this. Because of course the Americans are so smart and wise and we need to teach others how to do things The American Way.
Today, in 2024, I’d like to invite Al Jazeera anchors, bureau chiefs, and reporters to the USA to teach CNN, network television, Fox News, the New York Times, the Washington Post, etc., etc. how to report the news without bias. E.g., Genocide is genocide. Ecocide is destroying Earth. Israel is just a pitiful little colonial country, not gods chosen people, etc.
Hani Mahmoud, Tariq AbuoAzzum, Hind Khoudary, and so many others working in Gaza and the occupied West Bank are role models for U.S. journalists who have lost their way. It’s maddening but also very very sad for me as an American to have completely lost all respect for the U.S. mainstream polluted media.
Another brilliant, eye-opening article, Jonathan. I’ve learned so much more about these horrific times we’re living in, because of independent journalists like you. You really ARE a witness to genocide.
Point after point after excellent point. I was just reading Lyndon Laroushe's blistering analysis of the cruelty, coldness, and brutality that is the British government, ('The Coming Fall of the House of Windsor'), and you come along and top him. IF it is any consolation for those of us aching for justice... the Bible describes End Times USA and Britain in no uncertain detail, including the final and utter destruction of both countries; for ..as you might imagine.. crimes against humanity. There is even a verse that describes the world breathing a sigh of relief, when these 'Babylons' are gone forever - Isaiah 14:7.
Then the world would be hypocritical. The citizens of USA and Britain are no more guilty of crime than Palestinians. There is an international syndicate of criminals running their Empire from three independent cities, i.e., Washington DC, City of London and the Vatican but they do not live there.
The only way to kill off the hydra is to track down and remove the Olympians (Committee of 300) from power. The destruction of USA and Britain will not disempower them.
"......The West is waging a campaign of psychological warfare on its populations: it is gaslighting and disorientating them, classing genocide as "self-defence" and opposition to it a form of "terrorism".
......The echoes from history are apparently entirely lost on officials: the UK is once again associating the Mandela family with terrorism. Before it was to protect South Africa’s apartheid regime. Now it is to protect Israel’s even worse apartheid and genocidal regime....."
These are actually one and the same issue. The so-called west is indeed gaslighting its own populations. AND targeting the Mandela family is a part of that. These ghouls aim to turn everything upside down so people do not know which way is up, or right from wrong. It is exactly in the same vein as the Canadian government hosting World War II Nazi veterans and all of NATO inventing a WWII commemoration in which the Soviet Union somehow was not a key ally and bulwark in defeating the.....German......nazis.
There is clearly a transnational, trans-NATO and carefully planned effort to conduct this gaslighting.
Note also that at NO point have we been force-fed terms such as "Israel's full-scale invasion of Palestine" or "Israel's war in Gaza" or "Netanyahu invades Lebanon".
It is sadly and even shamefully true that while some peoples have been brutally victimized throughout history a disproportionately large number of times, the victims of one place and time can and sometimes do become the victimizers of another place and time.
Also, contrary to what is claimed or believed by many, deep down there’s a potential monster in each of us that, under the just-right circumstances (however very unlikely), can be unleashed — and maybe even more so when convinced that ‘God is on my/our side’.
Still, we as individuals can resist flawed yet normalized human/societal nature thus behavior; and if enough people do this and perform truly humane acts, positive change on a large(r) scale may result.
Perhaps somewhat relevant to this are the words of American sociologist Stanley Milgram, of Obedience Experiments fame/infamy: “It may be that we are puppets — puppets controlled by the strings of society. But at least we are puppets with perception, with awareness. And perhaps our awareness is the first step to our liberation.”
Historically, the majority of murders in North America, South America, Africa, Australia, India etc were carried out by European Colonialists with far superior weaponry. Today, the majority of murders in Palestine are carried out by European Colonialists with far superior weaponry. Its that simple.
Excellent ….. thank you, Jonathan.
We in the West kid ourselves that we live in democracies and that we occupy such moral high ground that we have a duty to spread democracy around the world.
Apart from yourself and other independent journalists, that ‘holding power to account’ pillar of democracy is non-existent.
Bravo👏👏👏
Until we who oppose the Genocide in Palestine stand in Solidarity with all those who openly stand and resist the fascist onslaught by the state the press or any other means then it's just empty gestures. It's time we stood up and stated that we support all forms of resistance from Palestine to our own streets . I don't know what more can be done other than say that I Support the Resistance to this Genocide I stand with the journalists who speak the Truth , I've been on marches and I support all who protest alas it falls on deaf ears ,I'm tired of crying it's time to get angry
Peace and Respect Dean Smith
Living in the UK and watching Aljazeera News has been an eye opener , to say the least . To say I feel my entire life shaped by what I read and see on the BBC and the UKs Press ,has been so sheltered to the point of being mind controlled .
If you watch the BBC ITV to a slightly lesser extent Channel 4 I have awoken to the fact that the knowledge I thought I had and the amount of censorship I believed our FREE PRESS came under was totally wrong .
The Slaughter of Gaza is not on the masses minds in the UK because they don’t see or hear of it ? One or two lines on the radio news or almost a byline on the TV news doesn’t inform anyone of the Genocide our Government is co conducting under our nose . How many come here to read articles of such Merit compared to the absolute pap they are fed on our mainstream media ?
Jonathan, thank you for this incredible piece. I would go further and say there is a complete war on truth. We are meant to be so submerged and controlled that any objective truth that does not serve the government's narrative, must be erased. Kill the truth-tellers and imprison them in the mantra.
You speak of journalists and media being complicit in their silence, however the situation - legally and in the UK in particular is much worse than people realise. Have a look at this if you have time. Actually, I'd implore you to:
https://ayauk.substack.com/p/i-need-you-to-read-this-very-carefully
I suggest that one doesn’t get promoted to the top corporate and media jobs amongst those identifying as Jewish, unless one is a Zionist. Indeed in 2020, the top 2 leaders of British Jewry, Simon Schaema and Lord Robert Winston plus Harold 'blood libel' Jacobsen signed a letter saying; “We are committed Zionists and passionately outspoken friends of Israel.’
I’m well aware of the resentment in pre-war Germany over Jewish people who seemed to have a lot of money and influence. However, that should not prevent us saying we find it unfair how disproportionately those identifying as Jewish are represented in those rich enough to lobby government and in the top influential, media jobs in the UK.
Even more so now that we find out that they all appear to be supporters of a genocide.
Judaism does not equal Zionism but it seems to be very clear from what they have said that all the lobbying, visible, influential Judaism followers in the UK are, in fact, Zionists.
"Winstanley is not the first journalist to be accused of falling foul of the Terrorism Act. In recent weeks, Richard Medhurst, a freelance journalist, was arrested at Heathrow airport on his return from a trip abroad. Another journalist-activist, Sarah Wilkinson, was briefly arrested after her home was ransacked by police. Their electronic devices were seized too."
This is a clear as day warning to anyon writing about Palestine. Make a frequent backup of all your work, and keep it in a place they will never look.
"Sky News seemed not to understand that these were not British soldiers, and that there was no reason for a British audience to be especially disturbed by their deaths. Soldiers are killed in wars all the time – it is an occupational hazard."
Yes, it's an occupational hazard. I love double entendres.
"Its editors recently censored a commentary by preeminent Palestinian author Susan Abulhawa after she insisted on being allowed to refer to the slaughter in Gaza as "the holocaust of our times".
How dare she use the word Holocaust™. That's a copyright infringement, as Jonathan Friedland explains.
Senior Guardian columnists such as Jonathan Freedland made much during Jeremy Corbyn’s tenure as leader of the Labour party that Jews, and Jews alone, had the right to define and name their own oppression.
We have been living in a 1984 world for at least four decades. For some reason I knew back then that it would some day come to this.
Thank you Jonathan. Excellent article and analysis; critical topic, book in the making.
Ironically, in the eighties and nineties and early 2000’s U.S. embassies in the Arab World used to offer various types of ‘journalist workshops’ supposedly to promote ‘accuracy’ in the local media. We would invite mainstream American journalists or faculty from journalism schools to lead the workshops.
The so-called strategic goal for these workshops was to teach/inform the Arab journalists how to write straightforward news, including news about USG-led wars, Iraq, etc., and not be biased or editorialize on such topics. I don’t know or remember the British or French embassies doing this. Because of course the Americans are so smart and wise and we need to teach others how to do things The American Way.
Today, in 2024, I’d like to invite Al Jazeera anchors, bureau chiefs, and reporters to the USA to teach CNN, network television, Fox News, the New York Times, the Washington Post, etc., etc. how to report the news without bias. E.g., Genocide is genocide. Ecocide is destroying Earth. Israel is just a pitiful little colonial country, not gods chosen people, etc.
Hani Mahmoud, Tariq AbuoAzzum, Hind Khoudary, and so many others working in Gaza and the occupied West Bank are role models for U.S. journalists who have lost their way. It’s maddening but also very very sad for me as an American to have completely lost all respect for the U.S. mainstream polluted media.
Another brilliant, eye-opening article, Jonathan. I’ve learned so much more about these horrific times we’re living in, because of independent journalists like you. You really ARE a witness to genocide.
Point after point after excellent point. I was just reading Lyndon Laroushe's blistering analysis of the cruelty, coldness, and brutality that is the British government, ('The Coming Fall of the House of Windsor'), and you come along and top him. IF it is any consolation for those of us aching for justice... the Bible describes End Times USA and Britain in no uncertain detail, including the final and utter destruction of both countries; for ..as you might imagine.. crimes against humanity. There is even a verse that describes the world breathing a sigh of relief, when these 'Babylons' are gone forever - Isaiah 14:7.
Then the world would be hypocritical. The citizens of USA and Britain are no more guilty of crime than Palestinians. There is an international syndicate of criminals running their Empire from three independent cities, i.e., Washington DC, City of London and the Vatican but they do not live there.
The only way to kill off the hydra is to track down and remove the Olympians (Committee of 300) from power. The destruction of USA and Britain will not disempower them.
Absolutely brilliant. Hits the nail on the head withsuch precision.
He's always so on point. LOVE his work. And Chris Hedges
"......The West is waging a campaign of psychological warfare on its populations: it is gaslighting and disorientating them, classing genocide as "self-defence" and opposition to it a form of "terrorism".
......The echoes from history are apparently entirely lost on officials: the UK is once again associating the Mandela family with terrorism. Before it was to protect South Africa’s apartheid regime. Now it is to protect Israel’s even worse apartheid and genocidal regime....."
These are actually one and the same issue. The so-called west is indeed gaslighting its own populations. AND targeting the Mandela family is a part of that. These ghouls aim to turn everything upside down so people do not know which way is up, or right from wrong. It is exactly in the same vein as the Canadian government hosting World War II Nazi veterans and all of NATO inventing a WWII commemoration in which the Soviet Union somehow was not a key ally and bulwark in defeating the.....German......nazis.
There is clearly a transnational, trans-NATO and carefully planned effort to conduct this gaslighting.
Note also that at NO point have we been force-fed terms such as "Israel's full-scale invasion of Palestine" or "Israel's war in Gaza" or "Netanyahu invades Lebanon".
Excellent commentary. Thank you!
BTW, The good news is - all liars have the same father. (Matthew 8:44) And will come to the same end. (Revelation 21:8)
It is sadly and even shamefully true that while some peoples have been brutally victimized throughout history a disproportionately large number of times, the victims of one place and time can and sometimes do become the victimizers of another place and time.
Also, contrary to what is claimed or believed by many, deep down there’s a potential monster in each of us that, under the just-right circumstances (however very unlikely), can be unleashed — and maybe even more so when convinced that ‘God is on my/our side’.
Still, we as individuals can resist flawed yet normalized human/societal nature thus behavior; and if enough people do this and perform truly humane acts, positive change on a large(r) scale may result.
Perhaps somewhat relevant to this are the words of American sociologist Stanley Milgram, of Obedience Experiments fame/infamy: “It may be that we are puppets — puppets controlled by the strings of society. But at least we are puppets with perception, with awareness. And perhaps our awareness is the first step to our liberation.”
Historically, the majority of murders in North America, South America, Africa, Australia, India etc were carried out by European Colonialists with far superior weaponry. Today, the majority of murders in Palestine are carried out by European Colonialists with far superior weaponry. Its that simple.
And by lying to them, betraying them or addicting them to alcohol and then burning their villages.