Subscribe to Print Edition | Mon., October 15, 2007 , | | Israel Time: 00:44 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
  Back to Homepage
Print Edition
Diplomacy
Defense Arts & Leisure Real Estate Jewish World National Advertising
Magazine Week's End Business Opinion Rosner's Domain Anglo File Books Travel
del.icio.us
Digg It!  new
Needed in Gaza: Israeli journalists
By Gideon Levy

The last time, we traveled together to the Indira Gandhi Park. Nearly a year has passed since then. We traveled to this playground, on the outskirts of Beit Lahiya, with our dedicated Gazan taxi drivers, Munir and Sa'id, to document the killing of kindergarten teacher Najweh Khalif in front of her children by an errant tank shell that missed the kindergarten's minibus by only several meters. We have not been able to return to Gaza since.

The Gaza Strip has been completely closed to Israeli journalists for nearly a year. The Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet security service decided this because it is dangerous in Gaza. An Israeli journalist can travel to Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, but not to Gaza. An Israeli can travel to Sinai, where it is also said to be dangerous. The West Bank is still open to journalists, where it is dangerous. But a complete blackout has been imposed on Gaza. Only Roni Daniel can still join the invading forces and expose their itchy trigger fingers - as he did in his report on Channel 2 on Thursday - and sing their praises. The place so present in the public consciousness, which dictates the security and diplomatic agenda, has been closed by the Israeli authorities to the Israeli media. Long before it was declared a "hostile entity," Gaza had become a closed territory, without any media coverage or documentation. Such is Israeli freedom of the press.

Anyone who expected such an intolerable reality to stir a protest was proven wrong. In any case, the readers do not want to read about it, the government and army do not want them to know and the journalists are not yearning to tell. There is no real fight for freedom of media coverage (which is also freedom of expression, information and livelihood) - not by the High Court of Justice, the Press Association and Press Council, or the Association of Civil Rights in Israel. This might have been understandable were it only for a limited time - but how long will this continue? Until all Palestinians join Kadima?
Advertisement
This blocking of media coverage for nearly a year has made us fail seriously in fulfilling our role. The media is not providing the service it is supposed to provide.

Even worse, it has surrendered submissively to the prohibitions imposed on it, while blurring the reality. There are only a few reporters who still bother to cover Gaza, often entangling their viewers and readers in falsehood, creating the deception that they have just returned from there. Instead of protesting, they collaborate. It is one thing that consumers do not protest about the lack of this service - even Yes subscribers remain quiet. But journalists?

It is the state's right and obligation to protect its citizens from unnecessary dangers. But it has no right to prevent those with an essential role to fulfill from doing so. The journalists who crossed at Erez in the past crossed at their own personal and professional responsibility, and signed a statement declaring this. Ron Ben-Yishai, one of the boldest in the field, compared his recent trip to Syria to the work of a technician who climbs up high-tension electricity towers. The work is dangerous, but necessary. And no one thinks of preventing the technician from doing this work. Yet Ben-Yishai can travel to Dir al-Zur in Syria, but not to Dir al-Balah in the Gaza Strip, as daring as he may be.

With the exception of Burma, not many places in the world are so closed off. It is true that Israel lets foreign journalists enter Gaza, and this is good, but it is ridiculous when media organizations like Haaretz, which still have an interest in covering what is happening, use foreign sources to tell their readers what is going on there.

But this is not enough. Israelis deserve to read and watch journalism by Israelis. The Italian and Swedish correspondents sent by Haaretz to Gaza are professional journalists, but the Israeli reader deserves to receive Israeli media coverage.

It is hard to know what really motivates Israel to close Gaza in this way. Is it the aspiration, so easy to fulfill, that Gaza will not be exposed here? If, on the other hand, it is an exaggerated concern for our safety, I waive this right. According to our foreign colleagues' reports, it is much safer in Gaza now than it was a year ago, when we still traveled there. Armed gangs no longer roam the streets and Hamas is even willing to protect Israeli journalists. But how will we know if we are not there?
Bookmark to del.icio.us
Part of Jerusalem?
PM Olmert questions whether Arab neighborhoods should be defined as part of the capital.
Who is a Jew?
Israel's draft constitution states that 'every Jew is entitled to immigrate to Israel.'
  1.   Story of "Israelis" going to Syria:Herbert and Susy Pundik 10:10  |  Absolute Sweden 14/10/07
  2.   Where`s Amira Hass, then? 10:12  |  Rowan Berkeley 14/10/07
  3.   Journalist in Syria 10:58  |  Gabe 14/10/07
  4.   There is a positive to this story. 11:03  |  Maureen Ann 14/10/07
  5.   Rowan #2 11:18  |  Guido 14/10/07
  6.   Mr. Levy, go to syria and stay there!! 11:21  |  david 14/10/07
  7.   Gideon Levy, That`s a form of tyranny itself 12:04  |  Dutch 14/10/07
  8.   WHAT A BIG SHAME ! send the Canadian Journalists there :) 12:26  |  Atilla Karagözoğlu 14/10/07
  9.   Let Levy Go to Gaza PLEASE 12:27  |  Jane 14/10/07
  10.   So-called Israelis are needed nowhere... 12:45  |  Hannah 14/10/07
  11.   Levy 12:46  |  j10 14/10/07
  12.   G. Levy, you do have my blessing.. 13:02  |  Blabass 14/10/07
  13.   Gideon Levy + Amira Hass 13:13  |  Chris 14/10/07
  14.   This is one of the reasons 13:36  |  Historian 14/10/07
  15.   Levy is needed in Gaza as a PR for Hamas 13:38  |  Moshe Bentov 14/10/07
  16.   Gideon Levy + Amira Hass is not a problem 13:42  |  Chris 14/10/07
  17.   giddy why bother you can make up lies from anywhere 13:49  |  victor hardman 14/10/07
  18.   To: Chris ! #16 13:51  |  Atilla Karagözoğlu 14/10/07
  19.   CHRIS ! one last thing 13:55  |  Atilla 14/10/07
  20.   WORLD IS HUNGRY TO SEE ISRAELI GREAT HEROS 14:01  |  ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU 14/10/07
  21.   #18 #19 Atilla Karagözoğlu 14:06  |  Chris 14/10/07
  22.   Mr Gideon Levi...do you have the guts to came Gaza?...I doubt 14:06  |  Ugy the she camel 14/10/07
  23.   insanity rules on this Talkback forum 14:42  |  Mark B. 14/10/07
  24.   #23 15:19  |  Chris 14/10/07
  25.   Freedpm of the Press 15:21  |  MIKE 14/10/07
  26.   WHY DOESN,T LEVY GO TO GAZA ? 16:07  |  S.Ponsor 14/10/07
  27.   @2 Blabass- Levy 16:28  |  Fsara 14/10/07
  28.   Let Gideon Levy go to Gaza 16:44  |  Ariel 14/10/07
  29.   Hannah #10 17:19  |  Mickey 14/10/07
  30.   #10 Sick Hannah is having another 17:26  |  TOMY 14/10/07
  31.   Since when lefties are not wellcome??? 17:30  |  TOMY 14/10/07
  32.   I have an Idea 17:45  |  Ron 14/10/07
  33.   More useless drivel from Levy 17:52  |  Nemesis 14/10/07
  34.   Interesting Word j10 - milfly 18:25  |  Reader 14/10/07
  35.   Historian - you`ve made the definitive statement 18:41  |  Reader 14/10/07
  36.   #Hannah dear, you can start by boycotting Ha´aretz 18:54  |  Hard Talk 14/10/07
  37.   Hannah - The Sicko Bitch 19:16  |  MIKE 14/10/07
  38.   There is a Consensus 19:18  |  Jane 14/10/07
  39.   Info for Mickey to end Sept 2007 19:19  |  Reader 14/10/07
  40.   # 16 Haaretz has a public obligation to the truth 19:24  |  Dutch 14/10/07
  41.   Hidden Agenda 19:53  |  Double Click 14/10/07
  42.   #38 Jane, Just more from your disgusting apologists 20:25  |  Dutch 14/10/07
  43.   Dutch, why do you get so excited...excitable too 20:48  |  Blabass 14/10/07
  44.   Doris Cadigan is a Bore 21:52  |  Jane 14/10/07
  45.   Levy - I don`t know whether to laugh or cry 22:36  |  Tod Zuckerman 14/10/07
  46.   Gideon would make a great Hamas Hostage 22:48  |  Mark Hamil 14/10/07
  47.   Gideon Levy is urgently needed in Gaza 23:06  |  Collin A 14/10/07
  48.   Gaza & Levy 23:10  |  Monica S 14/10/07
  49.   #Victor Hardman. Making up lies. 23:39  |  Maureen Ann 14/10/07
  50.   Reader 00:30  |  j10 15/10/07
  51.   Gideon, you are responsible for that 00:39  |  Frank 15/10/07
  52.   Gideon vs. Rabbi Akiva 01:15  |  Germanic Depressive 15/10/07
  53.   There is no "Press" in places like Gaza and Southern Lebanon 01:25  |  Efox 15/10/07
  54.   Israelis doing the right thing by totally ignoring ... 01:49  |  Misha 15/10/07
  55.   #23, Mark B... 03:46  |  Silvienne 15/10/07
  56.   #17, Victor Hardman... 03:48  |  Silvienne 15/10/07
  57.   #37, Mike... 03:49  |  Silvienne 15/10/07
  58.   #44, Jane 03:52  |  Silvienne 15/10/07
  59.   Why are so many posters wanting Levy to go to Gaza?? 03:55  |  Silvienne 15/10/07
  60.   Bull Shit 04:16  |  Mark Lincoln 15/10/07
  61.   j10 - Just mildly curious how often these kinds... 04:31  |  Reader 15/10/07
  62.   #55 Silvienne 04:41  |  somanycatsfewrecipes 15/10/07
  63.   #59...Silvienne 04:49  |  Nemesis 15/10/07
  64.   Gideon Levy, have you been to Sderot to cover Arab atrocities? 04:52  |  Genuine Tosefta 15/10/07
  65.   Go to gaza 05:01  |  Harry 15/10/07
  66.   Gideon should go and enjoy the same hospitality as Johnstone 06:17  |  PETER SM 15/10/07
  67.   OBVIOUS, I would have thought. 07:03  |  PADDY 15/10/07
  68.   atilla........... 07:21  |  maria 15/10/07
  69.   MARK LINCOLN.Unlike the Iron Curtain there are NGO`s in Gaza 07:34  |  PETER SM 15/10/07
  70.   The hypocrisy in IDF and Shin Bet claims... 08:23  |  John 15/10/07
  71.   # 52 Gideon vs Rabbi.. 10:20  |  Efrayim M 15/10/07
  72.   # 65 Go to Gaza 10:23  |  Abi C 15/10/07
  73.   #62, somanycatsfewreceipes 19:17  |  Silvienne 15/10/07
  74.   #60, Mark Lincoln 19:20  |  Silvienne 15/10/07
  75.   #67, Paddy... 21:05  |  Silvienne 15/10/07
  76.   It doesn`t make sense anymore to keep Israeli Journalists out 23:43  |  Dutch 15/10/07
 Today Online
Israel, Hezbollah in swap said to include info on Ron Arad
Responses: 52
Olmert hints Israel willing to part with Arab areas of J'lem
Responses: 343
Amira Hass: Israel has turned the Gaza Strip into a zoo
Responses: 287
Draft constitution ignores question of who is a Jew
Responses: 68
Rabin assassin Yigal Amir asks to attend son's circumcision
Responses: 83
Haaretz.com TV: Despite lobby's power, U.S. Jews are losing their bond to Israel
Responses: 64