In yet another subtle but telling piece of bias by the media, a number of news outlets are describing the Gaza Hajj pilgrims in Egypt as “stranded:”
Canadian Press: Stranded Palestinian pilgrims protest in camps in northern Sinai area of Egypt
All Headline News: “Thousands of Palestinian pilgrims were stranded on the Egyptian side of the Gaza border following a dispute over how they will return to the Gaza strip.”
BBC: “Protest by stranded Gaza pilgrims”
Boston Herald: “Stranded Palestinian pilgrims protest in camps in northern Sinai”
AP: “Stranded Palestinians Set Fire to Camps”
These people aren’t stranded. They can choose to go to their homes any time they want – they just have to be checked to make sure that they are not illegally smuggling money or weapons. If they refuse to do that, this does not make them stranded – it means that they are choosing to stay away from their homes.
As the Independent stated today:
An Israeli army spokeswoman said that about 360 genuine pilgrims broke ranks and began returning to Gaza via Kerem Shalom and Erez yesterday.
By calling them stranded, it appears that they have no choice in the matter, that Egypt and Israel are forcing them into an impossible situation. They aren’t stranded – they just consider Hamas’ wishes more important than returning to their homes.
