ISRAEL'S ATTACK ON IRAN IS ILLEGAL, SO WHY DOESN'T THE NEW ZEALAND MEDIA SAY SO?

The New Zealand media has failed to call out Israel for attacking the sovereign state of Iran, even though it showed no hesitation in condemning Russia for attacking Ukraine. 


IRAN IS a member state of the United Nations and is therefore a sovereign state in the international order. But the New Zealand mainstream media, mirroring the western media generally, will not say that the attack on Iran is a violation of the I945 United Nations Charter. While it's been more than ready to condemn Russia for violating Ukraine's sovereignty, that has not been the case with Israel.

Instead, the media has sought other ways to describe Israel's unprovoked and illegal attack. According to the NZ Herald and RNZ it's a 'conflict'. Or, for a bit of variety, it's an 'escalating conflict'. In the case of Newstalk ZB the 'conflict' is the result of 'decades of 'enmity'. The news and talkback station though has shown a little more imagination by also describing Israel's illegal war as a 'surprise aerial campaign'.  That would make it 'unprecedented', which is how CNN has described Israel's attack. 

And, according to RNZ's Corin Dann, Israel has been making 'progress' in its war against Iran. The Morning Report presenter is talking about a country that has targeted civilians, media and hospitals in Iran. Of course, Dann works for a network that has refused to call out Israel for committing genocide in Gaza. It's not an exaggeration that RNZ, under CEO and editor-in-chief Paul Thompson, has become a carrier for Israel's narrative.

It's a short step from legitimising Israel's attack on Iran to accepting its claim that it only attacked Iran in order to prevent it from obtaining nuclear weapons. But a cursory survey though the archives reveal that Israel has been claiming that Iran was 'close' to possessing nuclear weapons in the 1970s.

Over the past several decades, Iran has called for the establishment of a Middle East Nuclear Free Zone. This is an unusual idea coming from a country accused of wanting to possess nuclear weapons. But this idea of the nuclear-free zone has been rejected by the West, largely to protect Israel, which does have nuclear weapons. Israel is the only country in the Middle East with nuclear weapons, although it has never tested them or openly acknowledged their existence.

Iran remains an obstacle in the way of western interests. Imperialism's outpost in the Middle East, the Zionist state of Israel, has spied an opportunity to engage in regime change.  And despite its protestations to the contrary, Israel has been given the green light by the Trump administration. In response, the New Zealand media has not only remained silent, but it is also seeking to normalise Israel's illegal actions.