Why aren’t leaders outraged over Syria?

TWO REPORTS on the world page of The Star (September 2) highlight the bizarre and distorted reporting on the Middle East.

The one report is about the UN International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East in Pretoria last week where a cross section of figures from civil society, the diplomatic corps, artists and media gathered (sans, of course, anyone for the Israeli embassy) under the auspices of our Department of International Relations and Co-operation to unpack the “Israeli occupation of Palestine which is escalating to inconceivable levels of brutality and violence”.

One can imagine just how impartial these discussions were.

Just next to this article is another report on the forced evacuation of the Syrian town of Darayya during which “children starved, and people resorted to eating grass”.

In addition, more than 75 000 people were subjected to indiscriminate aerial attacks.

Not a day goes by that international news channels don’t air the devastation of Aleppo and other Syrian towns by Russian and Syrian jets, which are dropping barrel bombs and chemical weapons and killing thousands.

The UN estimates that more than 500 000 civilians including tens of thousands of children have died and upwards of 8 million refugees are languishing in camps in the region, yet our Department of International Relations and Co-operation and other NGOs don’t see the necessity for a peace seminar in that part of the Middle East.

Professor Steven Friedman tells the seminar it is a lack of courage by global players that ensures the Palestinian tragedy.

I wonder if the good prof would castigate those same global players’ lack of concern for the tragedy that is Syria today. Allan Wolman

500 000 civilians dead, 8 million refugees in camps