Israel Attempts to Silence Journalists

I had a long list of topics about which I wanted to write today, including the actions of cult leader, convicted felon, and failed President Donald Trump involving the District of Columbia. I will probably address that tomorrow when we have more details following his planned press conference today. But, in the meantime, I am again compelled to use my very small platform to address what is happening in Gaza, specifically, the Israeli murder of five Al Jazeera journalists and a sixth freelance journalist. It would be naive to believe that Israel will suffer even the slightest repercussions for its wanton killing of journalists, and certainly my meager words of protest will have no impact, but, nevertheless, I think it is important to draw attention to this latest outrage.

The names of those killed yesterday will soon be forgotten by most of the world. But I want to give them one last moment of recognition. The primary target of the Israeli attack appears to have been Anas Al-Sharif, one of the leading reporters still remaining in Gaza. A second reporter, Mohammed Qreiqeh, was also killed. The victims included three Al Jazeera cameramen, Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa. Mohammad al-Khaldi, a freelance reporter, was the final victim. The facts of the murders are not really in dispute. Israel struck a tent at the Al Shifa medical complex in Gaza City in which journalists were sheltering. Far from denying the attack, Israel proudly took credit for it.

Al-Sharif was on a list of six Al Jazeera journalists that Israel accused of being members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Of the six, Al-Sharif is the third to be killed by Israel. Two others suffered serious wounds in Israeli attacks. At the time the list was issued, those on it considered it to be a death sentence. In fact, Al-Sharif went so far as to prepare his will and final testament, to be released upon his death. In response to the list, Al Jazeera issued a statement saying,"Al Jazeera categorically rejects the Israeli occupation forces’ portrayal of our journalists as terrorists and denounces their use of fabricated evidence...The Network views these fabricated accusations as a blatant attempt to silence the few remaining journalists in the region, thereby obscuring the harsh realities of the war from audiences worldwide". The Committee to Protect Journalists also issued a statement condemning the allegations and noting that Israel has "repeatedly made similar unproven statements without producing credible evidence".

To be clear, Israel's killing of journalists didn't start with the list of six Al Jazeera reporters. Two years ago, Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was targeted by an Israeli soldier and killed in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank. The aftermath of Abu Akleh's killing established a pattern that has mostly been followed ever since. First, the Israeli initial reaction is generally to lie. In the case of Abu Akleh, the Israeli government first blamed her death on Palestinians. When evidence clearly refuted that suggestion, Israel backtracked and claimed that she had been shot by accident. A documentary by Zeteo, titled, "Who Killed Shireen?" not only identified the shooter, but claimed that a U.S. investigation had determined that Abu Akleh's shooting was intentional. However, the Biden Administration rejected the conclusion. This pattern, first Israeli lies and then excuses by the West, especially the United States, has become standard practice. Since Abu Akleh was killed, more than 200 journalists have been killed in Gaza.

Israel clearly does not want the world to know what is happening in Gaza. The country denies the entry of independent international journalists into Gaza. At the same time, it has waged a war of assassination against local journalists such as Al-Sharif who have covered local events. When Israel announced airdrops of food in response to the starvation the country's own policies had caused, authorities attempted to prohibit aerial photography from the flights, even suggesting that they would stop the airdrops if the restriction were violated. Ultimately, many news outlets filmed from the airplanes showing widespread destruction and the airdrops, which are ineffective in any case, continued.

Israel's struggles with the truth are also well-documented. As described above, Israel initially lied about Abu Akleh’s killing. But there have been many other documented Israeli lies specific to Gaza. For instance, to justify its takeover of Al-Rantisi hospital in Gaza, Israel claimed that the facility had been a Hamas base. Famously, Israeli military officials showed video of what the Israelis claimed was a work schedule for Hamas guards. However, Arabic speakers soon revealed that the document was actually nothing more than a calendar. The Israeli falsehood was so obvious that the military ultimately backed down and withdrew the accusation. Similarly, after the Israeli massacre of Palestinian ambulance workers in Rafah, Israel told a series of lies that were later exposed by media services. When Israeli forces killed two Israeli hostages who had escaped from Hamas, the Israelis initially claimed that they had been killed by their captors. The Israelis have made accusations about involvement in the October 7 attack by UNRWA employees for which they have been unable to provide conclusive evidence. With regard to the killing of Al-Sharif, the Independent reports that "Jodie Ginsberg, the chief executive of the Committee to Protect Journalists, told Sky News they were yet to see ‘any credible evidence’ to back the Israeli allegations against Al-Sharif. The organisation expressed concern last month at the ‘repeated threats’ made against Al-Sharif."

The timing of the assassination of Al-Sharif and the other journalists is probably no coincidence. The group was stationed in Gaza City. Just days ago, the Israeli security cabinet approved plans to occupy Gaza City, which is one of the last areas of Gaza that has not yet been completely destroyed. This is clearly going to be a very bloody operation causing mass casualties among the Palestinians. The last thing that Israel wants is for its atrocities to be documented. When asked about Israel's plans to occupy Gaza City, the United States' acting ambassador to the United Nations clearly gave the country a green light, saying, "The United States supports Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas’ terrorism. And ultimately, Israel has a right to decide what is necessary for its security, and what measures are appropriate to end the threat posed by Hamas and other similar groups." Therefore, whether the upcoming deaths are documented or not, there will be blood on American as well as Israeli hands.

The coddling of Israel by the Trump administration is really reaching new levels. That the U.S. would condone the killing of Palestinian journalists is not surprising; obviously, U.S. officials were not even bothered when Israel killed an American citizen in the case of Abu Akleh. That Trump would risk his coveted Nobel Peace Prize by supporting the occupation of Gaza City is a bit surprising, but not terribly so. But there have been other incidences in which we might expect a U.S. reaction. For instance, a 16-year-old American citizen, Muhammad Zaher Ibrahim, has spent five months in Israel's notorious Megiddo Prison after being detained for alleged rock-throwing. The boy has lost 26 pounds and developed scabies. Trump recently freed a man convicted of committing three murders from an Venezuelan prison, but appears powerless to do anything about Ibrahim.

In another journalism-adjacent event, Awdah Al-Hathaleen, a human rights activist who appeared in the documentary "No Other Land", was shot and killed in the West Bank by an Israel settler named Yinon Levi. Levi was sanctioned by the Biden Administration due to violence against Palestinians but Trump lifted the sanctions. On July 28, Levi invaded the Palestinian community of Masafer Yatta with an excavator. When residents confronted him, Levi opened fire, killing Al-Hathaleen. Al-Hathaleen had been filming at the time and his camera footage clearly shows Levi pointing a handgun at him and firing. Al-Hathaleen essentially filmed his own murder. The Israeli reaction is about what you would expect from the apartheid state. Witnesses were taken into custody and at least one was actually deported. Levi was detained, but then released under house arrest. Israeli officials refused to release Al-Hathaleen's body until his family agreed to a private burial. Subsequently, Levi was released from house arrest and immediately terrorized another Palestinian village. In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the victims are detained while the perpetrators roam free. The Trump administration, which makes this possible through its funding and political support, simply ignores it. Once again, documenting Israeli violence results in the messenger being killed.