Humanize Palestine

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Israelis dehumanize anyone who isn't Jewish, and kill children indiscriminately. I don't recognize any humanity in their leadership at all.

Bullshit.

[Muslima]

Pope Francis wept for the children of Gaza. He is a man of God, a human. May God protect him and all people who fight for justice:

"I am thinking, above all, of children who are deprived of the hope of a worthwhile life, a future. Dead children, wounded children, mutilated children, orphaned children, children whose toys are things left over from war, children who don't know how to smile.” This was the moment when the tears came. “Please stop,” said Francis. “I ask you with all my heart, it's time to stop. Stop"


http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/27/what-would-jesus-do-in-gaza-the-tears-of-pope-francis-point-the-way.html#sthash.9sxO8Fod.dpuf

[Muslima]

Eyewitness to a local radio in Gaza: " Tens of women, children, old people are targeted in Rafah, south of Gaza Strip. Mass displacement of Palestinian families in Gaza. Many people got killed while evacuating their homes seeking a "safer place". I do not exaggerate and I am responsible for my own words, an ethnic cleansing operation is taking place NOW in Rafah. The number of causalities is alerting and shocking, only 80 dead people and 600 injured were brought to poor hospital of Rafah. Yet, Massive number of dead bodies and injuries are still lying in streets. Rafah people were walking in groups when F16 fighter jets NOT armed drones rockets hit them collectively. There are dead bodies whose characteristic have utterly disappeared, not even a single piece of their bodies can be identified. Large area of Rafah neighborhoods - Barazel, Salam, Tel Zo'arb neighborhoods have been totally wiped out and destroyed. Paramedics and civil defense forces are not allowed to recover killed and injured people, some of them were even killed while rescuing people. It is a mass murder, imagine a 1000s of explosives are being dropped on Rafah neighborhoods"

[Anonymous]

Great reporting! Wish I could get real first hand news of what's happening in gaza. Oh wait, Hamas keeps muzzling the journalists! No fair reporting there! But a random report from gaza radio relayed to an acquaintance relayed to muslima? Ok!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Great reporting! Wish I could get real first hand news of what's happening in gaza. Oh wait, Hamas keeps muzzling the journalists! No fair reporting there! But a random report from gaza radio relayed to an acquaintance relayed to muslima? Ok!

Get on Twitter.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:Great reporting! Wish I could get real first hand news of what's happening in gaza. Oh wait, Hamas keeps muzzling the journalists! No fair reporting there! But a random report from gaza radio relayed to an acquaintance relayed to muslima? Ok!

At least she is clear about her sources. Readers are free to make their own evaluations. A good number of the anti-Palestinians posts don't refer to any sources at all. BTW, are you under the impression that Israel allows free reporting? If so, you may want to do a bit more research. As was mentioned in the New York Times today:

"Journalists for foreign news organizations must agree in writing to the military censorship system to work in Israel."

[Muslima]

I try my best to quote my sources and it is up to the reader to make up their own mind. I would hope people can independently make their own evaluations of everything that is read online as I do.

[Anonymous]

Yes there is freedom of press in Israel and not in Gaza. That is well known. And for those in gaza, they can only carry one side of the story, the most sensational. Pictures of dying children, not of militants, not of rockets being fired, stockpiles in schools. Those that do are reprimanded or asked to delete what they wrote. Let me know if you need sources for this...

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:Yes there is freedom of press in Israel and not in Gaza. That is well known. And for those in gaza, they can only carry one side of the story, the most sensational. Pictures of dying children, not of militants, not of rockets being fired, stockpiles in schools. Those that do are reprimanded or asked to delete what they wrote. Let me know if you need sources for this...

Seriously? A system that requires adhering to government censorship is not what we traditionally describe as "freedom of the press".

[Anonymous]

6:23. I smell bias. So let me take you up om your offer. Sources please.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great reporting! Wish I could get real first hand news of what's happening in gaza. Oh wait, Hamas keeps muzzling the journalists! No fair reporting there! But a random report from gaza radio relayed to an acquaintance relayed to muslima? Ok!

At least she is clear about her sources. Readers are free to make their own evaluations. A good number of the anti-Palestinians posts don't refer to any sources at all. BTW, are you under the impression that Israel allows free reporting? If so, you may want to do a bit more research. As was mentioned in the New York Times today:

"Journalists for foreign news organizations must agree in writing to the military censorship system to work in Israel."

Oh for the love of G-d. You take statements and twist them to bolster your bias. Israel has freedom of the press. You will find some of the most left wing publications on earth in Israel. This "censorship" applies specifically to reporting on the kidnapped soldier, whom the IDF is frantically trying to find. The Israelis don't want Hamas to know details of their search and rescue operation. Ever heard of a press embargo? The press in the US is constantly told what they cannot print if it effects the safety and security of the United States.


Stop the lies for goodness sake!!!!! We can talk facts- there is enough truth on both sides to have a legitimate discussion. But to accuse Israel of Hamas like tactics in regard to the media is totally wrong.

From the Huffington Post, which I would call a little bit liberal, no?

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/5641905

[Muslima]

Oh get off your high horses. It's a Known fact that Israel censors stories that they deemed affect "national security". They had also put a gag order on that tape that indicated the abducted boys were killed and broadcasted the message that the boys were abducted, not that they had been murdered. They wouldn't have been able to arrest over 400 Palestinians otherwise . And, Reporters without Borders’ (RwB) doesn't agree with you that Israel has freedom of press, their latest Press Freedom Index ranked Israel at a record-low 112th place, they are in the same group as Chile and South Korea, yeh i wouldn't call that freedom of press.

In Freedom House’s latest report, Israel’s state of press freedom demonstrates just that. In the organization’s 2012 report, Israel scored 30 on a scale of 10 to 97, putting its press freedom status at the bottom of the better “free” category. In the 2013 report, released on May 1, the country lost one point, enough to downgrade it to the top of the next lower category of “partly free,” together with Chile, Namibia and South Korea.

Several recent developments have rattled the country’s press freedom status, and have helped to raise important questions regarding both institutional censorship and self-censorship.

At least in the legal sense, Israel’s relationship with the press would seem to put it at odds with other modern democracies. 65 years since its establishment, Israel has never put into law either freedom of expression or freedom of the press. Moreover, a Press Ordinance, inherited from the pre-state days, stipulates that newspapers and their chief editors require a license, and even empowers the state to shut down publications at its discretion. A number of new laws and bills – such as an anti-boycott law, and a proposed amendment to the libel law – have been called a further threat to freedom of expression and the press.
Internationally, Israel is known as a major news hotspot, but those reporting from the country, predominantly on the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict, are at times restricted. Press freedom and human rights advocates often point to Israel’s conduct in the occupied Palestinian territories as inhibiting journalists – Palestinian and international alike – from operating freely. Moreover, Palestinian groups as well as the Foreign Press Association have accused the Israeli army of harassing, arresting and attacking reporters and avoiding carrying out thorough investigations into such incidents. Recent press freedom assessments harshly criticized Israel for targeting media personnel during Operation Pillar of Defense in Gaza in 2012, specifically for killing a crew from Hamas’ Al Aqsa TV.

Consequently, Reporters without Borders’ (RwB) latest Press Freedom Index ranked Israel at a record-low 112th place. The 20-position drop in the index was explained by “the Israeli military’s targeting of journalists in the Palestinian Territories,” which as the report itself indicates, previous reports classified separately.” A separate, and even lower score remains for Palestine.

http://972mag.com/press-freedom-in-israel-democracy-in-the-age-of-self-censorship/70660/


And this one from an Israeli writer:

An Israeli news addict will have a hard time finding out from Hebrew sources about the deaths in Gaza or the names of civilian victims there. The motto of Yisrael Hayom, Israel's most widely circulated daily newspaper, is “Remember we are Israelis.” And I guess that's why its Wednesday’s morning edition didn't contain a word on the civilian casualties.

As the sole democracy in the Middle East, as it likes to define itself, the state of Israel has an interesting way of practicing journalism. All Israeli news stories about military activities are subject to military censorship. That means authorities have pre-approved every item the public receives.

Furthermore, most correspondents have a cozy relationship with the military. In order to get access to information, they must go through a security clearance and accreditation process controlled by the very same organization they cover.

http://mashable.com/2014/07/09/the-iron-dome-of-censorship-how-free-is-israels-media/

[Anonymous]

How are we hearing this from an Israeli writer? Shouldn't he/she have been censured?

[Anonymous]

Muslima, Reporters without Borders has Israel ranked 96th and "Palestine" ranked 138th. However, given that the USA is ranked 46th I question how these rankings are created.

[Anonymous]

Oh, and so your facts are straight, South Korea is 57th and Chile is 58th. But why let facts influence your posts....
http://rsf.org/index2014/en-index2014.php