The Committee to Protect Journalists found that a majority of all journalists killed in 2023 were covering the genocide in Gaza. Israel is supposed to be “the shining democracy in the Middle East,” yet Netanyahu is behaving like a Fascist dictator. This isn’t the first time, either.
So far, the Israeli military has killed 105 journalists reporting on the war in Gaza. They’d like us to believe they were all accidents, but we’re not buying it.
Family Members of Journalists Threatened/Killed: A Warning
Wael al Dahdouh, Al Jazeera’s Gaza Bureau Chief, was actively reporting from Gaza when an air strike hit the home he and his family were staying in, killing his wife, 7-year-old daughter, and 15-year-old son in October. He suffered even more loss in January.
Wael al-Dahdouh’s 27-year-old son, who was also a journalist at Al Jazeera, was killed while returning from an assignment with Mustafa Thuraya, a colleague, who was also killed. Hazem Rajab, a freelancer who was with the duo, was wounded.
Speaking to an NBC News crew in Gaza about the death of his son, al-Dahdouh said, “It is true that the pain of losing someone is very difficult and when it is about your eldest son after the death of the family, then it becomes even more difficult,” he said.
“In the end, this does not change anything of reality, and will not change any of our decisions. We are going to proceed as long as we are alive and breathing. As long as we are able to do this duty and deliver this message.”
How could anyone believe that 105 journalists and members of their families were killed “by accident.” Especially when you take into account the number of journalists killed in other wars, and over a much longer time period.
Over 75% of all journalists killed in 2023 were covering the genocide in Gaza.
Al Jazeera Headquarters in Israel Raided, Equipment Taken
The Al Jazeera’s hotel headquarters in Israel was raided and their equipment was confiscated on May 5th.
Israeli authorities raided a Jerusalem hotel room used by Al Jazeera as its office after the government decided to shut down the Qatari-owned TV station’s local operations on Sunday, an Israeli official and an Al Jazeera source told Reuters.
Video circulated online showed plainclothes officers dismantling camera equipment in a hotel room, which the Al Jazeera source said was in East Jerusalem.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet shut down the network for as long as the war in Gaza continues, saying it threatened national security.
No Cameras Allowed
On Tuesday, the live feed of Gaza from a camera owned and operated by the Associated Press was shut down, and the equipment confiscated.
Following pressure from the U.S. government, an opposition leader, and journalism organizations, the equipment was returned to the AP and the live feed of the Gaza skyline was broadcasting again on Wednesday morning.
The AP mentioned a new law the Israeli government cited as the reason they shut down the feed:
The government seized the AP equipment positioned in southern Israel after accusing it of violating a new media law by providing images to the satellite channel Al Jazeera.
Israeli officials used the new law on May 5 to close down Qatar-based Al Jazeera within Israel, confiscating its equipment, banning its broadcasts and blocking its websites.
Before the AP’s equipment was returned, Israel’s Communication Minister, Shlomo Karhi posted on X, “I have now ordered to cancel the action and return the equipment to the AP.”
Karhi said the defense ministry will undertake a review of news outlets’ positioning of cameras streaming live video of Gaza. Officials hadn’t previously told AP the positioning of its live camera was an issue. Instead, they repeatedly noted that the images appeared in real-time on Al Jazeera.
Al Jazeera is one of thousands of AP customers, and it receives live video from AP and other news organizations.
“While we are pleased with this development, we remain concerned about the Israeli government’s use of the foreign broadcaster law and the ability of independent journalists to operate freely in Israel,” said Lauren Easton, AP’s vice president of corporate communications.
Majority of All Journalists Killed in 2023 Were in Gaza — What is Netanyahu Trying to Hide?
If Israel is doing all of this just to stop journalists from exposing the reality of what the Israeli military (IDF) is doing in Gaza, it looks like they’re trying to hide something.
If they’re not doing anything wrong — certainly not committing war crimes, then why are Netanyahu and members of his Rght-wing government doing so much to hide what’s happening in Gaza? Maybe because having the truth out there makes the work to maintain the narrative, propaganda, and gaslighting much more difficult?
The U.S. government is currently struggling with the same problem. They were just brazen enough to say it out loud. I guess Israel isn’t the only democracy in trouble.
