A Palestinian teenager, thought to be aged between 18 and 19 has been shot in the head by Israeli forces in the Palestinian village of Ni'lin Last week. He has now been declared dead at the Ramallah hospital. (Source: Friends of Freedom and Justice: Bil'in)
This is a good time to mention the large disparity in reporting deaths in Israel/Palestine. The media to which we are chiefly exposed in the United States covers Israeli deaths disproportionately more than Palestinian deaths. This is historically true and certainly has remained so since the beginning of the Second Intifada (September 2000, also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada). As of April this year (I haven't updated my stats since then), at least 4, 537 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers; in contrast, 473 Israelis have been killed. In other words, since September 2000, Israelis have killed 10 times more Palestinians than vice versa (source: B'T Selem, an Israeli human rights organization).
This immense loss of life in the region is only made worse through the biased coverage given to it by American media. I dare to venture that most people who might read this blog are surprised at these numbers, given that Palestinians are characterized as gun toting, bomb throwing, suicidal fanatics who murder Israelis constantly and who force Israel to "retaliate" and "secure" themselves. It is a sad day when we lack so much truth.
Photo: courtesy Poetry for Palestine
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