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Israel and Media Targeting
Israel has targeted press often and with deadly results to stop reporting in conflict areas. I know because I was one of those who was nearly killed by Israeli troops who later justified their actions by declaring “a closed military area”, to stop reporting on their siege of Ramallah in 2002.
Firstly, understand the images of war, and Israel’s devastating bombing of Gaza is stirring International outrage, so the media is seen as an opponent. It shouldn’t be seen that way, but as Israel is being called on to stop its non stop offensive on Gaza, as hundreds of air launched bombs, and collectively thousands of explosive strikes if you count Israels ships at sea and artillery launches, are hitting one of the most densely populated places places on earth, Israel wants to muzzle the images that drive that criticism.
And yesterday was the most deadly day with 42 Palestinians killed in Gaza. To Israel there is justification of civilian casualties, as long as it is killing members of Hamas responsible for volleys of rockets hitting places like Tel Aviv and other population centres, saying it has a right to defend its population against Hamas directed attacks.
And in background briefings with International media, Israel claims the media is not fair to focus on civilian deaths, when it claims about half of 197 casualties so far are Hamas fighters.
But we also know at least 58 children have been killed in the rubble including eight young cousins who had gathered to celebrate Eid with their mothers, and a five-month-old boy was pulled from the rubble alive. Hundreds more have been injured, caught in the cross fire between Israel and Hamas.
And the Israeli deaths from 3000 rocket attacks are also reported, as 10 dead, including a 5 year old boy killed by rocket shrapnel on a bomb shelter. There is no score keeping and each death is tragic.
But the fact is Israel carries on a conflict with the media, and the Governments credibility is widely questioned, as it is seen to have misled International media early Friday, when just after midnight, the Israeli military put out an ominous statement to the media: “IDF air and ground troops are currently attacking in the Gaza Strip.” It was a statement designed to trick Hamas into believing a ground invasion was underway and force them into tunnels that would soon be bombed.
“They didn’t lie,” said Or Heller, a veteran military correspondent on Israel’s Channel 13 TV. “It was a manipulation. It was smart and it was successful.”
Was it smart? No it wasn’t because that same media will later be counted on to give Israel’s side of the story, and any media savvy first year journalism student will tell you tricking reporters will destroy your standing with the truth, and then no one will believe you.
(By the way - Military correspondents generally make their bread and butter by having access and by being first with a press release, not by covering the big picture or by criticizing the army)
On Saturday Israel gave a warning it was about to hit the al Jalaa Tower building in Gaza, claiming in housed Hamas intelligence assets, and we are now supposed to believe the IDF without any substantial evidence?
In fact many believe the bombing later which laid waste to the building was directed at quieting ‘unfriendly’ media. The building was used to headquarter Al Jazeera TV, as well as AP News and the AFP which hour by hour reported it as an outrageous attempt :”to silence the media”. It of course had the opposite effect with an entire day of live coverage featuring the attack.
Israel later claimed it had shown intelligence to the U.S. of evidence part of the building was being used by Hamas but offered no evidence to journalists.
As I said at the start, it’s not the first time Israel targets press, but is in fact a pattern of aggressive and deadly behaviour towards reporters. During my time covering conflict in Israel and in the West Bank and Gaza whenever Israel didn’t want you to report they declared “closed military zones” to push out cameras and reporters. They have closed Gaza now barring International reporters from entering.
They did exactly that in Ramallah in 2002 when they surrounded Yasser Arafats compound, and we stayed in the area knowing the story was bigger than the piece of paper an army commander waved in our face.
On April 1st 2002, I was reporting for NBC News in Ramallah and driving an armoured up jeep when bullets started hitting the vehicle. Even with TV clearly marked all over the vehicle, and our interior lights switched on and hands in the air to surrender, a soldier continued to fire on us with an M16, and bullets began to smash the front window. I thought we would die on that road. The car was hit 15 to 18 times by bullets.
That soldier clearly knew who we were, and continued to fire on the vehicle as I tried to back away to get out of his firing zone. It was a frightening experience added onto tense days of Israeli tanks raising turrets at our car warning us from entering certain streets of Ramallah. Until you have stared down the barrel of a Merkava tank as it swings its turret towards your vehicle you won’t quite understand the terrifying moment, but you get the idea.
Reporters were also hit with stun grenades covering a meeting with the U.S. envoy and Arafat. At least 25 reporters came under attack in Ramallah with 3 wounded by gunfire. I will never forget even an NBC News Executive, who was known to be a weak leader by field reporters, later questioning me why was I out driving in Ramallah and “endangering my crew” when days before he and dispatched us to Gaza, and the news division of course wanted us to be there and gladly took our stories each night. Did he expect we would hide in a building and not cover the news?
You expect the military to be against you, but it is always surprising when news executives do it to protect themselves and turn on the people in the field. Thankfully most news divisions have better leaders.
In the past reporters have been killed in other areas of the West bank and Gaza including a Reuters cameraman shot by a tank in 2008.
Israel was accused by Reporters Without Borders of targeting journalists in 2014 in Gaza, and before that in 2012. And now the human rights organization is condemning the force used by Israel not only in Gaza, but even in Jerusalem and Sheik Jarrah where 7 reporters were hit with rubber bullets, and several arrested .
What’s obvious to all is that the conflict gets covered now by tens of thousands of people armed with cell phone cameras. And social media drives public opinion. Professional media at least usually give both sides, unlike social media which always has an agenda or narrow view.
It’s in Israels interests not to target but to protect real journalists, but time and time again it harms media. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the administration has “communicated directly to the Israelis that ensuring the safety and security of journalists and independent media is a paramount responsibility.” President Joe Biden spoke with both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday.
The media is not Israels enemy, and is reporting on the rocket attacks inside Israel. So as they say ‘don’t shoot the messenger’ and in Israels case, we mean that literally.
Israel will say “the media is against us so what does it matter”? But the truth is professional journalists try to cover both sides of the story. If you are being targeted in the process, of course that will influence your coverage because instead of getting information from Israeli forces, you find yourself in their gunsights.
There’s controlling the message and then there is something far beyond that. Those seeking the truth truly appreciate all that journalists do to reveal it - in many cases risking their lives. Thank you for that first hand account. I had no idea that the aggression against those reporting facts was so overt. Great and terrifying piece of news.
Thanks for taking the time to comment Steve!