Note the stark contrast between coverage of Ukraine and Palestine Palestinians already know the extent to which we are dehumanised and our narrative marginalised, but watching the Ukraine coverage has served as a
reminder of the disparity and double standards, writes Rafeef Ziadah Rafeef Ziadah 1 day ago
We know what it's like to be invaded, bombarded and occupied (AFP/Getty)
Like everyone watching the news over the last month, I have been deeply moved by scenes of refugees fleeing the violence in Ukraine, and the destruction visited upon Ukrainian towns and cities. As someone who has worked with refugees all my life, such images are unfortunately not unfamiliar to me. The biggest surprise, however, has been how such appalling events are reported. Not long ago, refugees from countries like Iraq and Syria were attempting to cross the English Channel live on British television. This dehumanising spectacle was accompanied by senior politicians competing for who could sound "toughest" in the face of this "threat".
Now, Ukrainian refugees are being offered the dignified media coverage they undoubtedly deserve coverage that has long been denied to those coming from countries which may be further away, but where British institutions and arms companies have been and currently are very much present. I am Palestinian and, like so many other Palestinians, I have been astonished at the contrast in media coverage. Indeed, this topic of conversation comes up almost daily among Palestinians watching events unfold in Ukraine.
We know what it's like to be invaded, bombarded and occupied
we also
know what it's like to mobilise, resist, and appeal for solidarity. What we have not experienced, particularly from western media outlets, is comparable
supportive coverage. A year ago, Palestinians were out in the streets of Jerusalem, raising their voices and putting their bodies on the line in protest at plans to expel yet more Palestinian families from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah. Over the following weeks, Israeli occupation forces brutalised Palestinians in
Jerusalem's Old City and inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and then, in the Gaza Strip, as high-tech missiles and bombs rained down on the occupied, blockaded and fenced-in enclave.