On March 30, 2018 the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) committed
cold-blooded murder in Gaza. Thousands of unarmed Palestinians marched
peacefully to protest the occupation and declare their right to return
to their homeland. The Great Return March was met with gunfire and 18 people died.
The killings were caught on camera but the response from the United
States, its allies and their friends in corporate media reveal as much
as any photography ever will. The massacre was either disappeared as if
it never took place, or was described as a “clash.” The BBC, CNN, the
New York Times and the rest of their cohort used this word which implies
some equality in defense capability when one side, the one with the
dead people, was completely unarmed.
The media covered up for Washington’s friends and politicians were
silent. Bernie Sanders’ mealy mouthed response was one of the few to be
heard. He called the shootings “tragic” and said that the IDF “over
reacted.” Crediting him with these weasel words is damning with faint
praise but this minimal response is not surprising given the degree of
Israeli influence in American politics.
-- Margaret Kimberley, "Freedom Rider: Israeli Meddling and Palestinian Death" (BLACK AGENDA REPORT).