LA Times Whitewashes Opposition to Gaza Wall
Construction of the underground wall between Egypt and Gaza (AP photo by Eyad
Baba)
A new underground wall is going up along one of Gaza’s borders, and Jimmy Carter’s confusion notwithstanding, it’s not the border with Israel. In fact, it is Egypt that is building a 10-kilometer long underground steel wall to prevent tunneling, and Gazans are none too happy, as the Los Angeles Times’ blog reports:
“Whether it is a wall, sensors or tapping devices … what matters is that Egyptian territory must be protected. Whoever says Egypt is imposing its control on the border, we tell them this is Egypt’s full right,” Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit was quoted as saying by Al Ahram Al Arabi weekly magazine.
The foreign minister’s statements prompted Arab nationalist politicians and writers to accuse the government of President Hosni Mubarak of serving Israel’s and the United States’ interests at the expense of fellow Arab Palestinians. The matter highlights Egypt’s close geographical and emotional ties to the Palestinians but also the complex political dilemma it faces in attempting to undercut Hamas.
LA Times writers Amro Hassan and Jeffrey Fleishman go on to detail statements by Arab officials and observers opposed to the wall and disputing Egypt’s stated security concerns. But Arab opposition to the Gaza-Egypt wall is not limited to mere words — so far, there have been four incidents of Gazans shooting on Egyptian construction workers — violent acts ignored by Hassan and Fleishman.
More from SNAPSHOTS
Double Standards: Boycotts and Discrimination in MassLive
May 16, 2025
Anti-Israel activists, including Harvard University’s Lara Jirmanus, a clinical instructor, seem to struggle with the concept of “discrimination.” Quoted in a May 14 MassLive article, “Harvard ‘failed to respond’ to 450 discrimination complaints. Staff hand-delivered [...]
Swarthmore Students Are Learning: It Was Never About Palestinian Rights
May 14, 2025
Students at Swarthmore College are so close to understanding the conflict. An article in the Swarthmore Phoenix details the frustrations of student activists with the college’s Students for Justice in Palestine. The gist of their criticism is [...]
AFP Arabic Stops Mislabeling Northern Israeli Communities ‘Settlements”
August 10, 2021
A view of Metulla, northern Israel (Photo by Hadar Sela)After failing to set the record straight last May when Agence France Presse's Arabic service repeatedly referred to Jewish communities in northern Israel as "settlements," the [...]
NY Times Praises Ilhan Omar’s Book While Glossing Over Her Antisemitism
August 19, 2020
A recent New York Times book review boosts Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) autobiography while glossing over her antisemitism. In the paper’s Aug. 16, 2020 edition, NYT reporter Christina Cauterucci writes: The memoir offers breathing room [...]
When TV Interviews of Ilhan Omar Constitute Journalistic Malpractice
August 11, 2020
Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) documented animosity toward Jews and Israel was ignored in recent interviews by MSNBC and C-SPAN. MSNBC’s The Beat for July 23, 2020 included host Ari Melber’s 10-minute conversation at 6:16 [...]
Boston TV Station WCVB Teamed Up With Terrorist Supporter CAIR
July 7, 2020
WCVB-TV (channel 5) (Boston’s ABC network affiliate) recently misled area viewers about a matter involving antisemitic propaganda. This occurred on its local Sunday show Cityline hosted by Karen Holmes Ward who is described by the [...]
Harper’s Magazine Echoed Palestinian Propaganda Condemning Israel And America
June 2, 2020
Writing in Harper's, Kevin Baker condemns the U.S. Middle East peace plan [“The Striking Gesture,” Easy Chair, May 2020], mischaracterizing it as, “Give up all your [Palestinian] hopes and your holiest places, embark on a [...]