The Canary has been extensively covering the situation in occupied Palestine. Heightened Israeli authoritarianism against Palestinians (described by professor Ilan Pappé as a “calculated and cynical provocation”) led to a response from Palestinian armed groups. As usual, the response from Israel has been grossly disproportionate. It’s involved airstrikes against civilian targets that included residential buildings, hospitals, and schools. So far, Israeli offensive military actions have left hundreds dead, including over 60 children.
Naturally, right-wing commentators have been engaging in desperate mental contortion to categorize Israel’s actions as some kind of ‘self-defence’. The race-to-the-bottom has been a long and predictable compendium of propagandizing, minimizing, and obfuscating. But in a competitive field, the Spectator, the house organ of the Conservative Party, might ultimately take the prize for most flagrant excuse-maker for Israel’s actions.
