What can we do about it?

Every morning I receive my daily news digest of what's happening in the middle east, as seen from multiple news sources. I learned a long time ago that certain news sources have an inherently strong bias in what and how they chose to cover news related to Israel, and one should take this into account when reading it. Take for instance, the coverage of the massacre at the religious school in Israel and the daily firing of rockets into Israel proper (note, territory not disputed in any international forum except by those who deny Israel's right to exist). Every day I'd read the coverage that focused on the "disproportionate" Israeli response, and wanted to throw my hands up in the air and accept that the majority of western media will always have an anti-Israel bias. And then I stumbled on this article, which in addition to some suggestions about the power of an individual, does a great job at summarizing some of the facts of Israeli history most commonly distorted by the media and anti-Israel propagandists. It also gives a list of sources and suggestions for further reading.

To highlight one of the author's main points, we can do something as individuals. The most effective measure we have against propaganda is to educate ourselves and those around us of the truth. One can argue the nuances of what is an appropriate response, where the boundaries should lie, what the path to peace should be for hours, but these discussions need to start with a firm historical foundation of fact. So check out the article. It's a step in the right direction.