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Source: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=9129
Palestinians and the Media
(Daily Star-Lebanon) Daoud Kuttab - In the second intifada, television has been a curse for the Palestinians. The image of militarized resistance has also shown suicide bombings by Palestinians and the killing of innocent Israeli civilians. The growth of the Arab satellite landscape has ensured that the day-to-day life of the Palestinians fills the screens. But Arab television coverage has produced other stereotypes of Palestinians, both as victims and with an image of a supernatural hero that can walk through fire without getting burned - that Palestinians can do anything without paying a price. If you somehow believe that political problems can be solved militarily, then it is easy to see why peace talks stumble. This image has raised the ante to a degree that it has become difficult for politicians to make any compromises. Similarly, many people in the West have been blinded to the humanity of Palestinians as the terrorist image has overridden this on their screens. The writer is director of the Institute of Modern Media at Al-Quds University in Ramallah.