The Scottish daily The National devotes its front page to the genocide in Gaza

In a Western media landscape marked by reluctance and conformism, the Scottish daily The National chose to go against the grain. Its front page of the day, soberly titled “How genocide happened” (“How the Genocide Happened”), highlights Israel’s responsibility for the destruction of Gaza and the silent complicity of the great powers. This exceptional dossier is based on explicit statements by Israeli officials openly calling for the annihilation of the Palestinian people – comments that most European media have preferred to ignore.

In partnership with Scotland for Palestine, The National publishes a four-page dossier bringing together these chilling quotes: “No Arab must stay in Gaza”, “We must burn Gaza now”, “Israel must make Gaza look like the Auschwitz museum”. For its editor-in-chief, Laura Webster, this publication aims to fill a void: that of journalism that is too often complicit by omission. She denounces a “collective moral failure” of the Western press, incapable of naming crimes and too quick to “balance” between the oppressor and the oppressed.

This initiative is part of a dynamic where Scotland, through its social and political movements, has for years expressed constant solidarity with the Palestinian cause. During the last congress of the SNP (Scottish National Party), several elected officials called for breaking any partnership with Israel, denouncing repeated violations of international law. The commitment of The National extends this historical sensitivity, nourished by a tradition of anti-colonialism and the defense of oppressed peoples.

By daring to describe things by their name, the Scottish newspaper reminds us of what the primary role of the press should be: to tell the truth, especially when it is disturbing. At a time when many editorial offices take refuge in silence or ambiguity, The National proves that a media can still combine rigor, courage and moral commitment. A rare approach, welcomed well beyond the borders of Scotland, and which gives new meaning to the word solidarity – that which stands on the side of the victims, not the powerful.