Contributed from Victoria

The boarding of the civilian aid ship and abduction of the crew and others on it in international waters is both piracy an act of kidnapping. Most of western big media is doing what it can to belittle and whitewash it. This is a sign of the times we are now living in. The political elite in country after country are following suite.

Why wouldn’t they? After all, the offender is the Israeli government using the Israeli Defence Force to commit the deed. Everyone knows that Israel is given immunity to sink to any depths by the self-styled defenders of democracy.

The Madleen, which was taken by Israel, has now been reported to be docked at Ashdod Port in Israel. Where the hostages are is uncertain for now, except that it is somewhere in Israel.

The Madleen was bound for Gaza before it was boarded by the Israeli Defence Force

The writing was always on the wall when Senior Israeli politicians called for the assassination of Greta Thunberg, the best-known person onboard the Madleen. The same defenders of democracy said nothing, giving the green light that it’s alright to carry out such an assassination. With this green light, Israel was not going to hold back on piracy and kidnapping.

The Madleen was carrying witnesses bound for Rafeh in Gaza. They were part of a flotilla to be witnesses to the slaughter being carried out there and act to break the blockade causing starvation and death. The ship was also carrying much needed humanitarian aid to a desperate people.

When our media and political lite turn their backs, they are complicit in the killing. There is no other way to call it. If they spoke up and acted accordingly, this atrocity could not happen. This is why the finger must be pointed at them too.

Australia’s ABC is part of the problem. An article by Matthew Doran is worded in a way that depicts the incident as an accusation instead of fact. This casts doubt on whether anything wrong has actually been committed. The story obfuscates the fact that the incident took place in international waters providing an unquestioned platform for Israeli officials to suggest this was a lawful act.

One of them is a Dr Shamir-Borer, who happens to be a director of the Israel Democracy Istuitute, a pro-Israel think tank with close connections to the political system. The article sites Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, to the exclusion of counter opinion. The ABC’s complicity in this and other reporting, is not Unique. Murdoch’s News Corp stable has been even worse. Being pro-Israel is the norm for big media in Australia, the United States, and much of western Europe.

Photo from Turkish Minute: Image of some of the kidnapped individuals

Securing the release of the kidnapped victims is important towards putting an end to Israel’s crimes against humanity.

This doesn’t mean that this criminal act should be overlooked, and the atrocity Israel is committing be accepted, and millions around the world are doing neither. Support for Palestinian democracy and independence is growing, and with the courageous resistance of the Palestinian population, this movement will ultimately prevail.

Here in Australia, we can contribute by insisting our politicians do the right thing and by exposing the sinister role of monopoly media in Australia.