Comfortably numb

While Tzipi Livni was lifting spirits at the American Jewish Committee, the New America Foundation hosted Israeli journalists Linoy Bar-Geffen and Uri Misgav this week to discuss how Israeli media ignore the occupation of Palestine.  Both are hoping to change this attitude and increase dialogue on Palestinian issues in the Middle East and in Washington.

Uri Misgav of Haaretz explained that coverage of the conflict and the occupation of Palestine has diminished significantly in the past decade. Positive coverage of relations between Israelis and Palestinians peaked during the period of the Oslo Accords of 1993. Young Israelis actively tried to meet and learn from Palestinians.  The media attempted humanized stories about the conflict. Coverage wasn’t balanced, but at least it was widespread.

The current lull in violence between Israel and Palestine has failed to resuscitate positive stories and instead has halted all  media coverage. News stories about Palestine don’t sell. The Israeli public does not welcome and is not interested. Sarah Wildman, foreign policy correspondent with PoliticsDaily.com noted that, just like in America, reports of suicide bombing and extremists sell papers, but more nuanced coverage of human interest stories does not.

Lenoy Bar-Geffen, a host on Israel’s Channel 2, shared an anecdote from a few years back when meeting with Palestinian journalists. They expressed anger towards the Israeli journalists for not doing enough to persuade their government to support the peace process. Bar-Geffen could not remember the last time she had a conversation with other Israelis about the peace process.  The Israelis once harbored hatred towards Palestinians, now they only feel indifference.

Misgav characterized the Israeli public as comfortably numb. Israelis living in urban areas can go their entire lives without meeting a Palestinian. Many checkpoints in Palestine have been privatized, allowing even Israeli soldiers to avoid spending time in Palestine. A lack of violence has created an apathetic status quo that Israelis can live with.

An important factor in the shift of the media is the widely read daily Israel Today. Owner Sheldon Adelson began this free, home delivered paper with the explicit purpose of killing off the leftist Israeli press.  The creation of the Israel Today made many outlets fear for their financial futures. Leftist papers have become more combative and extreme in response to Adelson’s fierce support of the Netanyahu government.

But hope remains. Bar-Geffen and Misgav both saw Israel’s domestic protest movement as a catalyst for real change. Demonstrations have been persistent since 2011.  While they focus on domestic concerns, especially the cost of living, it is only a matter of time until the high cost of the occupation is directly connected to these economic concerns. More generally, the protest movement has the potential to increase political awareness in an otherwise apathetic generation.