CHRISTMAS 2008 - THE HAMAS STORY

Now that Ed O'Loughlin is off the scene at the Age, we aren't reading those pithy tales about poor Palestinian Christians living under Israeli occupation any more. Still, we're not getting any closer to the truth about the rapidling diminishing Christian population in the region (it's diminishing everywhere in the Middle East but in Israel - go figure?).

Whilst it's refreshing that we're being fed less of the usual drivel blaming Israel for the plight of Christians in the Middle East, the truth is still suppressed in our own media as this Jerusalem Post analysis indicates - Analysis: Cruelty and silence in Gaza.

The silence of the Age continues with its interminable articles on the plight of the Gazans that provide little understanding as to how their economy has been shattered by the policies of Hamas which is intent upon the destruction of Israel. The Age letters section gives voice to mouthpieces of Hamas to promote an image which suggests that the viscious criminals who rule Gaza are nothing other than a group of friendly boy scouts. Like this ripper from Fay Waddington of Wooloowin, Queensland -

Imprisoned in the open air

THANK you to The Age for the article on the situation in Gaza (20/12). For too long the media has been blind or biased or both on this topic. Biased by constantly referring to Hamas as a radical Islamist group instead of a democratically elected party. Blind to the collective punishment imposed on 1.5 million predominantly innocent people because of that election result.

Biased in using the benign words "Israeli incursion" for brutal disproportionate responses to rockets fired by a small group of militants over which the overall population has little control.

Those benign incursions in March alone caused the death of more than 60 people, many of whom were children. The illegal settlements may have gone but the vice-like control by Israel over every aspect of life for those in Gaza remains. No fuel, no medicine, no fishing, no water, no hope.

Gaza is an open-air prison and Israel's actions constitute a war crime.

The letter published in the Age (which employed Ed O'Loughlin for 5½ years!) suggests there is media bias against the Palestinians, that Hamas is not a radical Islamist group and that, as a democratically elected party, it has no responsibility to rein in the so-called "small group of militants" who fire missiles at its civilains and that Israel is not entitled to defend itself against these "militants". No mention either of humanitarian aid brought in from Israel on a regular basis (except when those missiles are raining down on Israeli population centres).

This is Hamas whose aim is to destroy the Jewish state and kill its Jewish inhabitants and Waddington of Wooloowin, Queensland thinks Hamas is blameless. She's obviously been spending a lot of her time reading news reports from the Age and very little time searching for the full truth.

Thanks to Fay, the Age and the tooth fairy, we're all well educated on the subject as Christmas 2008 approaches.