Prominent British journalist supports Israel’s effort to eliminate Hamas terrorists, laments 'lies' told about Gaza war
Douglas Murray says media generally characterized by ignorance about Middle East and lazy reporting from people less interested in finding facts and more focused on condemning Israel
The prominent British journalist and best-selling author Douglas Murray is currently covering the ongoing war between Israel and the terror organization Hamas.
Veteran reporter Murray has covered several other wars, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. While much of the international media is hostile towards the Jewish state, Murray is supportive of Israel and its effort to dismantle Hamas.
In addition, Murray is one of few foreign journalists who has been permitted to report alongside the Israel Defense Forces while troops operate inside the war zones in the Gaza Strip.
In an extensive interview with The Media Line in Tel Aviv, Murray explained why he, as a non-Jew with no personal connection to Israel, feels the need to report extensively about the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
“Well, I don’t like lies. That’s one thing. I don’t like lies, in particular, when they’re huge lies being told in front of my face. And I think there are a lot of lies told about this conflict, this region… and I’ve seen them all my life and in multiple conflicts involving Israel,” Murray said.
The prominent British journalist argues that general media coverage of the current Hamas-initiated war follows the same anti-Israel bias pattern as previous Middle East conflicts involving the Jewish state.
“It’s the same this time. It always falls into the same pattern. The Israelis are accused of doing things they haven’t done, and Israel’s opponents are said not to have done things that they have done. And so, it’s very important to be able to see firsthand and on the ground what actually happened,” Murray explained.
He says the media is generally characterized by widespread ignorance about the Middle East and lazy reporting from people who are less interested in finding facts and more focused on finding excuses to automatically condemn Israel for defending itself against lethal terrorism.
Murray is particularly troubled by the false but widespread blood libel that Israel is committing “genocide” against the civilian population in Gaza.
“The claim that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza is one of the most outrageous calumnies, not least, of course, because it’s provably stupid as a claim because of course, the population of Gaza has risen by about a million since the Israeli withdrawal. So either it’s a total lie or the Israelis are trying to commit genocide in Gaza but are the worst genocidists ever and actually increased the populations of places they’re trying to commit genocide in. And so none of that makes any sense,” Murray stated.
The British journalist expressed his hope that Israel will succeed in dismantling Hamas as a military and political force in the region.
“Best outcome is that there’s no more Hamas,” Murray continued.
He emphasized that Hamas constitutes an intolerable threat to the Jewish state and compared the terror group to Nazis and members of the Ku Klux Klan.
“All I know is that Israelis cannot live beside Hamas. And anyone who demands a cease-fire until Hamas is destroyed or has no ability to govern Gaza is not being serious about this. No Israeli can live beside Hamas, just like no Jew can live beside a Nazi. No black family should be expected to live beside an active wing of the KKK. It’s totally intolerable. Totally intolerable.”
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.