Foreign media reports are avoiding the term “concentration camp” while clearly painting such a picture in readers’ minds when reporting on Israeli plans to establish a humanitarian zone in the Gaza border town of Rafah. This has been echoed to me in recent days by numerous readers from abroad. And I understand them. Reading foreign media articles can easily give the impression that Israel is planning a camp akin to those of Germany’s past. Whether intentional or not, the language, tone, and omissions create a morally-charged distortion.
The context? Omitted.
The threat posed by Hamas? Barely mentioned.
Instead, Israel’s attempt to protect civilians is suddenly framed as a cynical display of power. As if that weren’t bad enough, an Israeli TV moderator, of all people, compared the plan to a concentration camp during a live broadcast—an absurd and dangerous derailment. This won’t do. Anyone who knows history, who understands what a concentration camp truly was, must not carelessly throw around such associations—especially not against a democracy defending itself against terror while trying to save lives, not destroy them.
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