This is in response to The Associated Press article (Dec. 22) titled “Palestinians injure Israeli boy.”

Yes, young, otherwise unarmed Palestinians do often throw stones, in large part at the soldiers who are an ever-present menace to them; who raid their homes in the middle of the night, control their movement arbitrarily at hundreds of checkpoints, jail people without charge for months, and enforce the illegal occupation of their land.

Palestinians in the occupied territories of the West Bank and Gaza have no civil rights and have been living under those conditions for more than 50 years. Is it any wonder that their rage often boils over into stone-throwing or worse?

The article, however, was only in small part about an Israeli boy being injured by stones. Its larger focus was the recent uptick in violence stemming from both sides of the conflict. It also spoke of Lehava activists, a group of extremist, racist Israelis who incite violence against Palestinians.

Why, then, the headline of the article? Was it a deliberate attempt to, once again, cast Palestinians in a bad light? Even though the article presented a balanced story, the headline neutralized it by immediately casting aspersions on Palestinians. Many people scan headlines and don’t take the time to read every article.

Sadly, most Americans have a very slanted view of the conflict and the mainstream media is largely to blame. The headline underscored that bias, as does the under-reporting of the suffering of Palestinians under occupation.

Kathleen Kienitz, Auburn

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