VOA News has a video about palestinian Arabs burning electronic waste, which releases toxic chemicals and increases the risk of cancer. The title of the video is Palestinians Burn Israeli E-Waste Releasing Toxic Chemicals (hat tip: Michal).
Why does VOA News feel the need to describe the e-waste burned by palestinian Arabs as “Israeli”? The title almost seems to be implicating Israel.
The description accompanying the video is:
Every week, tons of electronic waste cross the border from Israel to the West Bank. Thousands of Palestinian families make a living off the waste by burning it to extract copper they can sell. But the burning is taking a toll on residents’ health.
Notice the passive voice. When I first read “tons of electronic waste cross the border from Israel to the West Bank”, I thought it meant Israel was dumping it. Only when you watch the video do you learn that palestinian Arabs are bringing it in from Israel in order to extract the copper.
But even worse than this, why does the story only covering the health risks to the palestinian Arabs? Why not also the health risks to the Israeli Jews living nearby?
Come to think of it, did VOA News ever cover this other unhealthy practice of palestinian Arabs, not done to extract copper but rather to extract global sympathy?
