Two major conflict zones, both involving a state that the Western world vehemently dislikes, all four sides accused (mind this important term) of rapes, but only two are blamed (Palestine & Russia) and two are absolved (Israel & Ukraine). This is the head-scratching tale of Western selectivity in reporting criminal atrocities. Unlike my other blogs that have focused on reporting Israeli war crimes, this blog is an interesting little ‘mini-study’ on a Google search. A study you can replicate yourself in under a minute.
Why a Google Search? What is searched?
Because Google is a useful search tool. It is undeniably used by millions of people around the world, for world news and updates. I will use only two search terms, using an incognito browser (no Google account logged in, so no algorithmic optimisation) using a French VPN.
- Rape in Ukraine war
- Rape in Gaza war
I believe these are ‘objective’ search terms. They do not pass any blame to any party to the conflict, and inquire only on ‘rape’ in a given region.
I’m interested to learn about Western media reporting (or lack thereof) on Israel’s recent rape of Gazan prisoners in Sde Teiman, an Israeli incarceration facility. Video evidence emerged of the incident, reported by both Al-Jazeera and Israeli media sources and members of the Israeli Parliament.
This incident made waves in Israel and Palestine, including the infamous (and ongoing) demonstrations by Israeli political groups to legitimise rape of war prisoners by Israeli soliders, demanding a ‘right to rape.’ Not surprisingly, the Israeli soldiers accused of the horrific, illegal rape were released under house arrest on 13th August.
Given the well-reported scope and recency (29 July) of this atrocious scandal, I’m expecting some reporting from Western media.
Western Reporting on Ukraine War Rapes
The top result is from CNN (US), reporting on a United Nations Security Council report that implicates Russian forces of 85 cases of rape in Ukraine
Scrolling further in the search query, we see a plethora of Western news agencies reporting on Russian atrocities in Ukraine, whether their claims are based on testimonies of survivors or credible institutions, remains to be debated.
NPR (USA) alleges that Russian soldiers are raping women in Ukraine. Le Monde (France) presents testimonies of rape victims and survivors. ABC News (USA) alleges that Russian forces are committing rape. Scrolling further below…
The inclusion of PBS (USA) and Reuters (UK) in the former list arguably provides a comprehensive coverage of major Western news sources. An argument can be made that Western media has reported expansively on alleged rapes in Ukraine.
Western Reporting on Gaza War Rapes
When you slightly change the search query (replace Ukraine with Gaza), the search does not produce a headline. Unlike the Ukraine search, where the first result was of a CNN report covering a UN report, there is no Western reporting of the equivalent UN report on Gaza. The first two search results are from the United Nations, which Israel and the Western world has been doing its hardest to defame. The third result is from Al-Jazeera (Qatar), covering the aforementioned, horrific Sde Teiman rape.
Scrolling below, BBC (first Western media) reports on alleged rapes committed by Hamas. Al-Jazeera makes an appearance again, while The Conversation is arguably not a traditional ‘media’ source (given its focus on academic rigour and international nature).
It is famously said that the best place to hide a dead body is on the second page of Google Search results. So perhaps the second page will provide some useful reporting from Western media.
Scrolling father down in the second page, there is a growing body of Western reports that provide insights on alleged rapes of Israeli hostages by Hamas. So far, besides Anadolu Ajansi and Al-Jazeera, no Western report has even slightly hinted at Israeli rapes.
Maybe I’m in the wrong – the Sde Teiman incident happened over two weeks prior to this blog. So I filtered the Google search to retrieve articles only from the event date (29 July). This should bring a clearer focus, right? The search came up fruitless still.
Scrolling further down, the search produces result from Middle East Monitor, Wikipedia, an Arab media outlet, and then finally, a Western media report that ‘U.S. decries reported sexual abuse of Palestinian prisoners’ from NBC (US).
Finally, the first page of Google search gave me this little nugget from the Times of Israel.
Takeaway
The idea of this blog was not to comment on the legitimacy of these reports. The purpose was to see if whether there is equitable reporting from the Western media on alleged rapes from all factions involved.
When you search about Ukraine, the Western media is chokeful of testimonies, UN reports, survivor reports, and a clear message is given – Russia is committing rapes on Ukrainian people (even when it’s only alleged).
When you search about Gaza (even time filtered), there is a complete absence of Western reporting, even for cases that are reported by Israeli and Arabian media. Radio silence, with exception to a few articles on US ‘decrying’ something that happened to Palestinian prisoners.
I even tried to search ‘Sde Teiman rape’ on Google, and found only Israeli & Eastern reporting on it (including the NBC result from above). Could it be possible that there is some authenticity to the idea of Zionists controlling the Western media?
Credit where it is due, the CNN and New York Times published detailed reports of horrifying conditions of Palestinian prisoners held without charges in Sde Teiman in May and June. Which begs the question, why the silence now? Reading the comment sections in Zionist communities from these two Western reports, I understand that these earlier reports served to galvanise the Zionists into thinking that they were actually doing the right thing.
Take of this little ‘adventure’ as what you will, feel free to replicate this search by yourself to see if your results are any different (Google can’t find things that do not exist). As always, read more on Israeli & Western imperialism while you enjoy Fish & Chips.
I’m an author & journalist from Islamabad, Pakistan. I explore authentic, credible stories of colonialism and modern-day Imperialism from the West. I also write stories of marginalised, unheard voices that live in slums and indigence. Voices that are rarely heard in the modern literature.
My blog is reader-funded and always free to access. If you enjoy my journalism and would like to fund my work (any amount is welcome), I’d greatly appreciate it. To stay updated with my latest publications, consider subscribing for free to get my blogs to your inbox. You can also follow me on Twitter / X.