What are the Isreali leaders thinking

[Wingnut_0]

When they have the army throwing stun grenades, rubber bullets and at least on one occasion real bullets at the media?

[Hangtime]

..maybe it's stime to send geraldo in?

[Hortlund]

Well, since most eurpoean and arab media are incredibly biased against Israel, I suppose they are thinking something along the lines of: "Get the #$¤# outta here and take that ´&#¤ camera with you"

I dont know about the US media, but somehow I suspect that no US journalists are in danger.

[Dowding]

Fine Hortlund.

But it sure seems strange to see long-time BBC journalists getting shot at by Israeli soldiers, when it's absolutely clear who they are and why they are there.

What's your answer to that?

[Wingnut_0]

Might wanna tell that to the NBC journalists in the clearly marked TV car that took 2 bullets in the window from a soldier.

[Dowding]

There has been a DEFINITE change in how Israeli soldiers behave towards journalists. The only conclusion from this is that the Israeli forces have been given specific orders regarding this matter. Which suggests a desire for media black-out on the Israeli's part.

 And while we are on the subject:

Israel given new pullout warning - Colin Powell

[Hortlund]

I guess the Israelis just wants the media out. Personally I can understand it. If you are going to have your soldiers going from house to house rounding up suspects, you are bound to get some "kodak moments" with soldiers dragging palestinian fathers away from crying women and children etc. Not exactly a PR dream...

[Sikboy]

While shooting the media is always a bad idea for any nation with pretensions of democracy, I absolutely LOVE the coverage it gets. I mean, come on CNN (who had a journalist get shot at) was acting VERY wounded about it. I mean, they might as well have filmed a beatin puppy and ran the story. "The journalists were told to leave, but some of them didn't hear the order, and  THEY WERE SHOT!!! (with rubber bullets) I mean really, they knew what they were doing. I don't think Israel should be shooting anything at journalists, but it's not as if the journalists were just standing around eating lunch or anything.

-Sikboy

[Staga]

Hortlund there was a video where Israel soldiers blow up a door to the apartment and thus also wounded a woman behind that door.
Well that's not all: They also did not let help to get there and wounded women bleeded dead.

[Eagler]

Seems to me the Israeli's are at war against the terrorists from Palestine

This makes the occupied areas the Israeli's are hunting the terrorists, a war zone.

If the journalist do not want to get shot at, I'd suggest they stay out of the war zone.

How difficult is it to mistake a shoulder mounted camera as a weapon? I would not think very ....

The journalist are in there for their own ego. That one shot or story which sky rockets their career into Geraldo status. They ain't there on some humanitarian mission. Play close to the fire and you get burned, sometimes .....

[~Caligula~]

I was stunned when I saw that video.I tought it was a very bad move by the israelis.
Than I saw a gentleman talking on CNN about it.
He said there were jurnalists and cameramen at the site where the palestinians linched some 4 palestinians for collaborating with the israelis.After it was over they went up to the cameramen and took their videotapes,stressing their point by gunpoint.
So We will never see that part of the story.
Stungranedes and rubberbullets sure suck,but not life treatning.
The arabs would have killed them for those tapes.

BTW  some of the protesters who walked into Arafat`s HQ were israelis.They`ll never be linched by their own people,but the arabs go around killing their own for having a different idea about how things should go.
Go figure people.....I wonder how long it takes untill everyone reallizes what`s really going on there.

[Dowding]

I disagree Eagler and suggest you read some of the auto-biographical stuff by decent warzone reporters - two British ones are Martin Bell and Max Hastings. I bet there are plenty of US contemporaries.

They truly believe they are doing us a service by opening our eyes to what goes on in the world. I value their efforts, work and occasionally, their sacrifice.

What's the alternative? Press reports from the PLO and interviews with Israeli Defence Force PR people?

No thanks.

As for mistaking a camera for a rifle. That's the most absurd thing I've heard all day. In the footage I've seen the journalist's vehicles were marked and the soldiers were only a few metres away atop an APC. They knew they were journalists.

They also knew their orders...

[Fishu]

I saw video footage on BBC where was a guy struggling on the ground with israeli soldier and other guy next to him and was said he was italian reporter who was shot in the stomach by MG of a tank.
Soon after was also seen video footage of tank pointing cannon at the BBC's car - as you can guess, they reversed away in nice order.

There was also something of finnish journalist whos been shot at on 3 occasiosn by israelis, maybe for warning or maybe not..


Israelis doesn't seem to be making difference between palestinians with rocks and with western journalists with camera hanging from the neck.

[takeda]

Wonder where Eagler got his brain wash, they did a damn fine job with it.

Catching terrorists should not be something to hide. If the Israelis where convinced of their own story they should not have any problem letting people tell us about it first hand.

[easymo]

Any outrage that I might feel is completely overshadowed by pure jealousy