NY Times Lies That Gazans Hate Hamas

It yet another bit of lying to its readership to convey an entirely fictitious narrative, The New York Times wrote an article on its front page that claimed that Gazans hate the ruling government of Hamas, a U.S. designated foreign terrorist organization.

It’s completely untrue as shown over and again in polls, including one released this week.

*New York Times front page on June 16, 2024* print edition

The article in the print version was titled “Gazans Voice Their Distress Under Hamas.” The article claimed that “support among Gazans [for Hamas] has been low for some time.” It added that “the group and its leaders have remained broadly unpopular in the enclave. More Gazans have even been willing to speak out against Hamas,” and that the people “held Hamas responsible” for their miserable condition.

The Times ran this tale in a front page Sunday paper interviewing about ten people.

Out of a territory of 2.2 million.

The reality is that there is a credible Palestinian organization which polls the local population every three months and has done so for decades. It interviewed roughly 750 people in both Gaza and the West Bank at the end of May. It is called the Palestinian Center for Policy Survey and Research (PCPSR) and it released its latest findings on June 12, just days before the Times piece.

The Times referenced the article but ignored its findings in favor of presenting its fake narrative.

The PCPSR poll clearly shows that a MAJORITY of 64% of Gazans supporting Hamas. This is a STEADY RISE from December 2023 when a small majority of 52% supported the government launching and carrying out a war against Israel.

The poll also showed increasing support among Gazans for Iran since the Islamic Republic launched missiles against Israel.

This isn’t news. Gazans have always supported killing Jewish civilians in Israel according to polls going back to 2000.

*Decades of PCPSR polls consistently show Gazans supporting terrorist attacks inside of Israel against Jewish civilians*

Which begs why The Times reported this fake news. Some things come to mind:

It knows / believes that its readership does not check any of its sources
It wanted to convey that its reporters went into Gaza for a handful of interviews
It wanted to tell a specific narrative that the people of Gaza are distinct from its leaders and army, painting them as twice-over victims of Hamas and the Israeli army

The Times concluded the cover story with precisely that last point: “While Hamas and even the Israeli hostages were in the underground tunnels, he said, Gazans were above ground with no protection from Israeli and U.S.-made bombs dropped over their heads every day. That is an oft-heard complaint by Hamas’s critics in Gaza.“There is uncontrolled anger against Hamas,” he said. “It threw the Palestinian people into the bottom of the well.”

Notice how The Times inserted “U.S.-made bombs” into the talk-track, a deliberate manipulation to add the United States to the cause of misery of every-day Gazans.

The Times portrayal is #FakeNews. The majority of Gazans support the October 7 massacre, support Hamas, support Iran, support the goal of destroying the Jewish State and support killing Israeli civilians.

Alas, we live in a world where facts are gaining irrelevancy. Social media has allowed societies to be overwhelmed by feelings and narratives. A single emotional interview – especially one doctored – carries more weight than reams of data and analysis.

The Israeli war against Gaza is a just war by any measure of analysis, yet is deeply vulnerable to ongoing support in a culture in which emotions and systemic antisemitism prevail.

The Times is giving red meat to that highly-charged, angry anti-Zionist mob as a near-term business matter and to influence American policy, even as it sacrifices the long-term credibility of its institution and the physical well being of American Jewry.