Rhetoric (I feel like Camera)

During my time as a Violet, I studied rhetoric fairly closely. Let's put those chops to use! 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/11/world/middleeast/mideast-tensions-sideline-a-gazan-marathon-runner.html?ref=middleeast&_r=0

Continuing its recent trend, the NY Times has run an article sympathetic to the plight of a Palestinian distance runner.  To be clear, it flat out sucks that this poor fellow's running career has been derailed due to the I/P conflict, and it serves as (once again!) a reminder as to why a 2 state solution is urgently needed for the most practical of purposes.  It is prima facie ridiculous that Palestinian runners cannot cross Israel to get from Gaza to the West Bank for the purposes of running a marathon and Jodi Rudoren is right for highlighting this.  Security clearances can and should be issued, and this is emblematic of the childish tit for tat which has characterized the Likud-YB's governance, particularly as of late.   So, how clear are we that ol' Anime Bollocks thinks there's a massive human toll to Gazan oppression and that the Israeli government is acting in bad faith?  Crystal.  Now, onto the meat of this...

That having been said, leave it to the Old Grey Lady to give short shrift to the Israeli side in this highly biased piece.  The article dedicated exactly one line to the militant anti-Zionist Hamas gov't, made exactly zero mention of the rising Islamic Jihad movement which is even further radicalized than Hamas, mentioned "occasional Israeli airstrikes" without citing the fact that they are *always* measured and in retaliation to state sanctioned rocket attacks on southern Israel (ask the good folks of Sderot how they feel about this), and while it took pains to describe the impoverished nature of Gaza due to Israeli sanctions since the 2005 withdrawal, made only a brief reference to the fact that Egypt imposes the same policies right down to the Rafah border crossing.  

Real talk: Gaza is an independent, Islamist state which is under heavy sanctions from its two neighbors due to its policy of state-sponsored terror.  It sucks to be a citizen there, and that's because the government is oppressive and refuses to recognize the legitimacy of a neighboring state.  Israel's hands aren't clean, but their actions are understandable.  This runner's plight should have been framed as a reason for a continuation of the peace talks, a revived set of talks along the Arab League Initiative, something, but not a puff piece on how rough and tumble it is at the hands of the Israeli oppressors.  

Be sure to watch the video piece, too. At 1:08, there's a sign which makes references to Yaffa (Yaffo) but not the far larger Zionist city of Tel Aviv, which has subsumed it (and whose inspiration is the namesake of this blog).