Politico journalists Eli Stokols and Dasha Burns have written pro-Israel propaganda that turns reality on its head.  

In their February 5, 2025, piece, the two White House reporters:

1. Describe Israeli leaders as trying “to turn a fragile cease-fire into a lasting peace.”

2. Uncritically repeat Trump staff claims that Trump’s call for ethnic cleansing of Gaza is “a negotiating ploy to give Israeli leaders more leverage.”

You can read Stokols and Burns’ opening paragraph here and see for yourself:

“In the hours leading up to President Donald Trump’s prime-time press conference Tuesday, his team knew what was coming. He had been discussing an idea for months — a U.S. takeover of the Gaza Strip — with advisers, some of whom saw it as a negotiating ploy to give Israeli leaders more leverage over Hamas as they try to turn a fragile cease-fire into a lasting peace.”

This is 100% pro-Israel propaganda.

For many months, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly undermined ceasefire negotiations with Hamas while conducting a genocide in Gaza. Netanyahu has faced widespread criticism for bombing Israeli hostages while continuing his genocidal war. Netanyahu’s goal has been to kill Palestinian civilians and make Gaza unlivable.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have both issued reports clearly documenting Israel’s genocide in Gaza. But Politico journalists Eli Stokols and Dasha Burns have framed their article in a manner that ignores Israel’s actual intentions.  

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Use this page to email 30+ Politico editors and journalists.  Call on POLITICO to delete this propaganda language from the first paragraph of their piece.

Background:

1. Politico article: “Trump aides knew he wanted to take over Gaza but had no plan,” Eli Stokols, Dasha Burns, Politico, February 5, 2025. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/05/trump-aides-gaza-plan-012528

2. Amnesty International report on Israeli genocide in Gaza: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/12/amnesty-international-concludes-israel-is-committing-genocide-against-palestinians-in-gaza/

3. HRW report on Israeli genocide in Gaza: https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/12/19/israels-crime-extermination-acts-genocide-gaza