If you’re not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.

Malcolm X

The Mechanisms of Manufacturing Consent

This is the second part of a 3 part series on The Manufacturing of Consent for a Genocide. Part 1 can be found here and part 3 can be found here. All sources that were utilized in writing this 3 part series can be found at the end of part 3. All three parts can be read as one single article here

Table of Contents

What is Manufacturing Consent?

“Manufacturing of consent” refers to the systematic and strategic shaping of public perception and opinion to align with specific political agendas or narratives. This concept, rooted in media theory and political science, underscores how information dissemination, whether through media channels, official statements, or cultural discourse, is often manipulated to create a sense of acceptance or approval of policies and actions that might otherwise be contentious or opposed.

In the milieu of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, this term acquires a poignant significance, highlighting how narratives surrounding the conflict are crafted, disseminated, and internalized, thereby influencing global understanding, response, and, crucially, the lack of action against potential injustices and violations of international law.

Media Portrayal

The media’s depiction of the Israeli offensive in Gaza presents a compelling case study in narrative control and bias. Far from offering nuanced analysis, much of the coverage tends to omit crucial context and historical background. Instead, it often echoes the talking points of the Israeli and US governments, revealing a discernible slant. This bias becomes particularly stark in light of the mounting evidence of genocidal intent by Israeli forces, yet the Palestinian perspective remains underrepresented or distorted in mainstream narratives. Such a one-dimensional portrayal not only misinforms the public but also subtly shapes global perception in favor of the aggressor, underscoring the powerful role of media in the manufacturing of consent.

The media shapes the public perception on almost every issue. This conflict is perfect example of this. A prime example of bias media coverage is the arbitrary starting point of October 7th for any discussion about the Israeli – Palestinian conflict. It is true that Hamas captured hundreds of hostages, some of them innocent civilians including women and children and that is abhorrent. However, choosing October 7th as a starting point dehumanizes Palestinians. Ignoring historical context unfair and dishonest of the truth. It ignores that over 5,400 Gazans have been killed by Israeli airstrikes since 2007, prior to October 7th. When the media ignores the Israeli siege of Gaza, the restriction of food, water, and fuel, and the restriction of movement for 16 years it is being ignorant at best and complicit at worst. It is reported that Israel even calculates that the average number of calories that each Palestinian would need to be slightly above starvation and just allow that much food into Gaza. The 16 year blockade event prevented “luxury” food items such as instant coffee or chocolate.

The Israeli military made precise calculations of Gaza’s daily calorie needs to avoid malnutrition during a sweeping blockade imposed on the Palestinian territory between 2007 and mid-2010, according to a document the Defense Ministry released Wednesday under a court order.

Times of Israel

The media also humanized the Israeli hostages (as it should) but dehumanized Palestinian killed (as it should not) by ignoring the decades of living under the thumb of an occupier and an apartheid regime.

UNICEF also reports the following:

• The volume of truckloads entering Gaza in the first five months of 2022, around 8,000 per month, was about 30% below the monthly average for the first half of 2007, before the blockade. Since then, the population has grown by more than 50%. 
• Israeli forces restrict access off the Gaza coast, currently only allowing fishermen to access 50% of the fishing waters allocated for this purpose under the Oslo Accords. 
• Unemployment levels in Gaza are amongst the highest in the world: the Q1 jobless rate in 2022 was 46.6%, compared with an average of 34.8% in 2006. Youth unemployment for the same period (age 15-29) stands at 62.5%. (PCBS) 

We can write pages and pages on the blockade of Gaza. Review the video below and the UNICEF report for more details.

In addition, thousands on political prisoners including women and children are held without charge in military prisons within Israel. Ignoring all of this context reflects a colonizing mindset that ignores the human rights of an entire people.

The biased media coverage, marked by selective reporting and a lack of historical context, plays a crucial role in manufacturing consent for the Israeli offensive. By focusing predominantly on a narrow narrative and omitting the prolonged suffering and dehumanization of Palestinians, the media not only misleads the public but also facilitates a skewed understanding of the conflict. This pattern of representation not only distorts the reality of the Gaza blockade and its consequences but also subtly legitimizes ongoing hostilities. Thus, the role of the media becomes instrumental in shaping a narrative that aligns with the interests of the powerful, at the cost of the oppressed.

Political Rhetoric

The political rhetoric in the United States and Israel has been extremely one-sided. Lets first look at the example of White House spokesman, John Kirby:

The hypocrisy is unveiled in this video. While almost brought to tears speaking about the civilian atrocities of Russia in Ukraine, civilian atrocities at a much more grand scale in Gaza is simply the nature of war.

Joe Biden in the days after October 7th, propagated the false narrative that Hamas beheaded 40 babies:

Even though this had been proven false and Biden walked back his statement, the damage had been done and propaganda machine had been fueled.

Rashida Tliab, a US congresswomen was censured for simply giving a speech in Congress requesting a ceasefire to end the suffering of Palestinian children.

Israel’s far right government often accuses Hamas as using civilians as human shields as a way to legitimize their bombing of civilians, hospitals, and refugee camps. In reality, Amnesty International issued a report in 2014 indicating the lack of evidence of that claim. On the contrary, Amnesty International found evidence that Israel is using Palestinian children as human shields. A Reuters article on the UN report stated: “It voiced deep concern at the “continuous use of Palestinian children as human shields and informants”, saying 14 such cases had been reported between January 2010 and March 2013 alone.” A secondary investigation in 2014 by Amnesty International again did not find any evidence of Hamas utilizing civilians as human shields. The Amnesty International publication can be found here. Please also refer to the above section on “Intent to Destroy” for further statements by the Israeli government that are utilized to normalize the perception that Palestinians are “sub-human” or “human animals” thereby rationalizing their deaths.

Fabricating and disseminating disinformation is unfortunately shaping the American public’s opinion on who is the occupied and who is the occupier.