Opinion/Die Presse - Letter to the Editor (f.a.o. Daniel Green)

This article has been published at PalaestinaSolidaritaet.at.

Mr. Daniel Green published an article in Die Presse about “the “Gaza List” […], its extremist narratives, and the wider societal implications of unchecked hate,” mirroring standard orthodoxy present in the Austrian political spectrum, welcoming “thoughts and feedback” on the business and employment-focused social media platform LinkedIn.

One essential talent, Mr. Green exhibits in that article, is an exceptional tolerance for contradiction whilst equating the movement’s struggle for peace, neutrality, and justice by denouncing Israel’s unprecedented mass murder retaliation campaign against Gaza with “extremist narratives” implying the proliferation of “unchecked hate”. Here we see the familiar conflict between facts and Truth, facts being what happens in the world, while Truth has a more august status, emanating from ideologically recasting antisemitism as the perfect tool for deflecting criticism of Israel.

What is quite apparent to anyone who cares to look is that the spectrum of his argument is severely limited and narrow. There is nothing wrong with that; in principle, everyone is entitled to their opinion. Howbeit, as he does not seem to have read primary sources (e.g., the Gaza List Manifesto) as well as articles written by Liste Gaza members, readers are missing out on what journalistic standards refer to as balanced and impartial reporting. It would not be prudent to attribute this to malice, as it is much more plausible that inadequacies in literature research competency are the root cause of this symptom.

Hence, the recommendation is to read the following article, that includes the Gaza List Manifesto in English with a prelude arguing why the political protest campaign was enacted:

Hopefully, these recommendations and comments will help dismantle the ideological blinders that may have caused Mr. Green’s misconceptions.