This letter was sent by Catherine Buntin, CAPA president, to David Brooks, a New York Times columnist and PBS commentator. We encourage readers to send their own peace-oriented letters, not only to legislators but also to journalists and influential public figures.
Dear David Brooks,
We need your deep dive into the war in Gaza, from the Palestinian perspective, and your journalistic help to bring balance to our news coverage.
For three years the Houthis have repeatedly said that they are only bombing ships in the Red Sea to retaliate for the Israeli bombing in Gaza. And they stopped all bombings during the recent ceasefire. They kept their word. Yet this never gets reported.
Nor does the fact that thousands of innocent Palestinian prisoners — including men, women, and children — are tortured and held in depraved conditions in Israeli prisons. They are hostages, too. But only the 50 or so remaining Israeli hostages are ever discussed, only their families are interviewed.
Your reporting could elevate the profile of one Palestinian prisoner in particular. Marwan Barghouti (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marwan_Barghouti) is respected by Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank and might be a gifted negotiator for peace. The people need his voice and talent. I’m sure Hamas has negotiated for his release — perhaps they would have more luck if there were public pressure from the US. But this can’t happen if Americans don’t know of him, and most don’t.
Most importantly, the US needs to examine its years of bombing Yemen and its support for the terror Israel has inflicted in the Middle East for decades; the list of executions is long as is the theft of land. These atrocities must be called out and our participation must be critiqued with brutal honesty. But to do this, Americans need complete and accurate information from journalists.
We are faithful viewers of the News Hour, and daily readers of the NYT. We are grateful for most of the journalism produced in these spaces. But on Israel’s genocidal war, the US media presents a biased view, and that includes PBS and the NYT. There are excellent journalists, like Trita Parsi and Jeremy Scahill, who could be featured. Please encourage The News Hour and the NYT to include voices like these and of the Palestinians themselves so that your viewers are equipped to hold our government accountable and to demand the just peace that Palestine deserves. By the way we know that this war will never make Israel safe or safer. Until Israel can treat its neighbors as equals, hate and violence over peace and human dignity will surely prevail.
Lastly, please see the documentaries, Where Olive Trees Weep and No Other Land; and read “Hamas Contained” by Tareq Baconi. These resources have helped our community better understand what “occupation” means to people’s everyday lives and why the resistance will continue.
Your voice matters…. I believe we need your help… and I think Pope Leo would agree!
Respectfully,
M. Catherine Buntin, MS, MPH, Public Health Nurse