Its charter is unambiguous: “The Day of Judgment will not come about until Muslims fight Jews and kill them…The Hamas regards itself the spearhead and the vanguard of the circle of struggle against World Zionism... Islamic groups all over the Arab world should also do the same, since they are best equipped for their future role in the fight against the warmongering Jews.”
But no matter how clear Hamas’ words may be, the coverage of Eli Kay’s murder reflected a familiar pattern. The default position of many news organisations is that a dead Jew is an irrelevance, while a dead Hamas member must be some sort of martyr.
On Monday, for example, a Manchester Evening News headline read: “Palestinian shot dead after holy site killing”. Such headlines demonstrate the refusal of so many to see Hamas for what it is.
That does not, of course, include the government — and, it is good to be able to say, the opposition.
