activityactivity / /action action aggression aggression apartheid apartheid apartheid apartheid wall wall buffer buffer zone zone caught caught in in the the crossfire crossfire closure closure development development disputed disputed areas areas (the) (the) enemy enemy (the) (the) entity entity eternal eternal capital capital of of the the Palestinian Palestinian people people execution execution Friday Friday prayers prayers atat the the Temple Temple Mount Mount gang gang of of settlers settlers (the) (the) government government of of Tel Tel Aviv Aviv Green Green Line Line Haram Haram al-Ibrahimi al-Ibrahimi Haram Haram al-Sharif al-Sharif (the (the Hebrew Hebrew state state herd herd of of settlers settlers heroic heroic action action hero hero prisoners prisoners Hilltop Hilltop Youth Youth Historic Historic Palestine Palestine Holocaust Holocaust incitementincitement infrastructure infrastructure of of terror terror innocent innocent civilian civilian Israeli-Arabs Israeli-Arabs Israel Israel Occupation Occupation Forces Forces Jerusalem Jerusalem Jew(s) Jew(s) Jewish Jewish neighbourhood neighbourhood Jewish Jewish State State Jihad Jihad Judes Judes and and Samaria Samaria kidnap kidnap Land Land of of Israel Israel levelling levelling lands lands liquida liquida tiontion martyr martyr (Shahid, (Shahid, Istish’hadi) Istish’hadi) martyrdom martyrdom operation operation measures measures Middle Middle East East expert expert military military wing wing (of (of Hamas) Hamas) Minister Minister of of War War / /Minister Minister of of the the Army Army murdered murdered Nakba Nakba Nazi Nazi Neighbour Neighbour Procedure Procedure Occupation Occupation Occupied Occupied JerusalemJerusalem Outpost Outpost Palestinian Palestinian resident resident peaceful peaceful demonstration demonstration popular popular resistance resistance Price Price tag tag resistant resistant resistance resistance / /resistant resistant riots riots / /rioters rioters security security measures measures security security prisoner prisoner security security wall wall / /security security fence fence self-defence self-defence settlementsettlement / /settler settler siege siege Sons Sons of of Israel Israel / / Sons Sons of of Zion Zion surgical surgical (action) (action) targeted targeted (strike) (strike) Temple Temple Mount Mount Territories Territories terrorism, terrorism, terrorist terrorist Tomb Tomb of of the the Patriarchs Patriarchs united united capital capital of of Israel Israel / /united united capital capital of of the the Jewish Jewish people people wantedwanted (persons (persons / /individuals) individuals) Western Western wall wall / /Wailing Wailing Wall Wall Zionism Zionism Zionist Zionist entity entity activity activity / /action action aggression aggression apartheid apartheid apartheid apartheid wall wall buffer buffer zone zone caught caught in in the the crossfire crossfire closure closure development development disputed disputed areas areas (the) (the) enemy enemy (the)(the) entity entity eternal eternal capital capital of of the the Palestinian Palestinian people people execution execution Friday Friday prayers prayers at at the the Temple Temple Mount Mount gang gang of of settlers settlers (the) (the) government government of of Tel Tel Aviv Aviv Green Green Line Line Haram Haram al-Ibrahimi al-Ibrahimi Haram Haram al-Sharif al-Sharif (the (the Hebrew Hebrew state state herd herd of of settlerssettlers heroic heroic action action hero hero prisoners prisoners Hilltop Hilltop Youth Youth Historic Historic Palestine Palestine Holocaust Holocaust incitement incitement infrastructure infrastructure of of terror terror innocent innocent civilian civilian Israeli-Arabs Israeli-Arabs Israel Israel Occupation Occupation Forces Forces Jerusalem Jerusalem Jew(s) Jew(s) Jewish Jewish neighbourhood neighbourhood Jew Jew ishish State State Jihad Jihad Judes Judes and and Samaria Samaria kidnap kidnap Land Land of of Israel Israel levelling levelling lands lands liquidation liquidation martyr martyr (Shahid, (Shahid, Istish’hadi) Istish’hadi) martyrdom martyrdom operation operation measures measures Middle Middle East East expert expert military military wing wing (of (of Hamas) Hamas) Minister Minister of of War War / /Minister Minister of of thethe Army Army murdered murdered Nakba Nakba Nazi Nazi Neighbour Neighbour Procedure Procedure Occupation Occupation Occupied Occupied Jerusalem Jerusalem Outpost Outpost Palestinian Palestinian resident resident peaceful peaceful demonstration demonstration popular popular resistance resistance Price Price tag tag resistant resistant resistance resistance / /resistant resistant riots riots / /rioters rioters securitysecurity measures measures security security prisoner prisoner security security wall wall / /security security fence fence self-defence self-defence settlement settlement / /settler settler siege siege Sons Sons of of Israel Israel / / Sons Sons of of Zion Zion surgical surgical (action) (action) targeted targeted (strike) (strike) Temple Temple Mount Mount Territories Territories terrorism, terrorism, terrorist terrorist TombTomb of of the the Patriarchs Patriarchs united united capital capital of of Israel Israel / /united united capital capital of of the the Jewish Jewish people people wanted wanted (persons (persons / /individuals) individuals) Western Western wall wall / /Wailing Wailing Wall Wall Zionism Zionism Zionist Zionist entity entity activity activity / /action action aggression aggression apartheid apartheid apartheid apartheid wall wall bufferbuffer zone zone caught caught in in the the crossfire crossfire closure closure development development disputed disputed areas areas (the) (the) enemy enemy (the) (the) entity entity eternal eternal capital capital of of the the Palestinian Palestinian people people execution execution Friday Friday prayers prayers at at the the Temple Temple Mount Mount gang gang of of settlers settlers (the) (the) government government ofof Tel Tel Aviv Aviv Green Green Line Line Haram Haram al-Ibrahimi al-Ibrahimi Haram Haram al-Sharif al-Sharif (the (the Hebrew Hebrew state state herd herd of of settlers settlers heroic heroic action action hero hero prisoners prisoners Hilltop Hilltop Youth Youth Historic Historic Palestine Palestine Holocaust HolocaustFlags incitement incitement infrastructure infrastructureand Barriers of of terror terror innocent innocent civilian civilian Israeli-ArabsIsraeli-Arabs Israel Israel Occupation Occupation Forces Forces Jerusalem Jerusalem Jew(s) Jew(s) Jewish Jewish neighbourhood neighbourhood Jewish Jewish State State Jihad Jihad Judes Judes and and Samaria Samaria kidnap kidnap Land Land of of Israel Israel levelling levelling lands lands liquidation liquidation martyr martyr (Shahid, (Shahid, Istish’hadi) Istish’hadi) martyrdom martyrdom opera opera tiontion measures measures Middle Middle East East expert expert military military wing wing (of (of Hamas) Hamas) Minister Minister of of War War / /Minister Minister of of the the Army Army murdered murdered Nakba Nakba Nazi Nazi Neighbour Neighbour Procedure Procedure Occupation Occupation Occupied Occupied Jerusalem Jerusalem Outpost OutpostEssays Palestinian Palestinianon Reporting resident resident from peaceful peaceful demonstrationdemonstration popular popular resistance resistance Price Price tag tag resistant resistant resistance resistance / /resistant resistant riots riots / /rioters rioters security security measures measures security security prisoner prisoner security security wall wall / /security security fence fence self-defence self-defence settlement settlement / /settler settlerIsrael siege siege and Sons Sons Palestine of of Israel Israel / / Sons Sons ofof Zion Zion surgical surgical (action) (action) targeted targeted (strike) (strike) Temple Temple Mount Mount Territories Territories terrorism, terrorism, terrorist terrorist Tomb Tomb of of the the Patriarchs Patriarchs united united capital capital of of Israel Israel / /united united capital capital of of the the Jewish Jewish people people wanted wanted (persons (persons / /individuals) individuals) Western Western wall wall / / IPI Headquarters

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International Press Institute Flags and Barriers | 1 Staff Acknowledgements

Alison Bethel McKenzie IPI would like to express its gratitude to IPI Executive Director & Publisher the Foreign Ministry of Norway, which International Press Institute made the creation and publication of this book possible. We are also deeply grate- Naomi Hunt ful to the journalists whose contributions Managing Editor are featured here, and to the contribu- tions of IPI Deputy Director Anthony Mills, Gunes Yildiz whose work on the IPI Dialogue Forum Coordinating Editor was invaluable.

Lucy Cripps The views expressed by the authors in the Subeditor (English) following essays are not necessarily those of the International Press Institute.

2 | International Press Institute Flags and Barriers Table of Contents

Introduction • Israeli Media Can’t Imagine a Part- • Israeli Journalists Should Defend ner for Peace, By Anonymous Press Freedom for Their Palestinian Chapter 1: Skewed News • The Power of Pictures, Colleagues, By Lisa Goldman • Challenging the Army’s Narrative of By Danny Rubinstein • Time for New Voices in Israeli- Events in the West Bank and Gaza, Palestinian Peace Negotiations, By Lisa Goldman Chapter 3: Obstacles By Ruth Eglash • On Not Depicting the Other Side • The Role of the Arab Revolutions in • A Modest Suggestion for in Coverage of the Arab Spring, Press Freedom, By Anonymous a Simple Guide, By Yoel Esteron By Lara Habash • Slow Down, Stop… There is a • The Earth is Shaking in Egypt, Checkpoint Ahead, By Anonymous By Gal Berger • Getting Across to the Seventy • Israeli Media Serving the Official Percent, By Anonymous Narrative, By Muhammad Yunus • Freedom of Movement and its Effect • About Women, By Anat Saragusti on Media Coverage, By Lara Habash

Chapter 2: The Job of Journalists Chapter 4: Steps in the Right Direction • Identity Crisis: Being a Journalist in a • Cooperation to Bypass Barriers, State of War, By Uri Blau Censorship and Silencing, • Autoimmunity, By Wadea Awawdy By Danny Zaken • Distractions: Wag the Dog, By Lily Galili • Unprofessional Media Terminology • Missing the Point in Arab Spring Strengthens the Culture of Hate, Coverage, By Yana Suryadnaya By Anonymous

International Press Institute Flags and Barriers | 3 4 | International Press Institute Flags and Barriers Introduction

By Naomi Hunt Senior Press Freedom Adviser for Africa and the Middle East International Press Institute

The conflict in Israel and Palestine has con- Restrictions on movement are coupled Israeli and Palestinian journalists can minimize tinued unabated for over half a century and with other limitations on journalist rights. Pal- the impact that these hindrances, both psycho- despite, or perhaps because of, global and re- estinian media workers, in particular, face the logical and physical, have on their work. gional efforts, no lasting peace has been found. threat of raids, imprisonment and attack by both Israeli and Palestinian authorities. Those Several of the authors on both sides Into the mix come journalists and the mass operating in the Gaza Strip face the toughest asked to withhold their names or write under media, the channel through which the public conditions of all, from travel restrictions, to fear a pseudonym because of the sensitivity of receives and interprets news and information of reprisals for critical reporting, to the threat of these issues. about the conflict and about the peace process. armed conflict. We hope that these essays offer some in- The role of journalists is to provide accu- In the following short essays, journalists sight into the challenges that Israeli and Pal- rate, fair coverage and context about events from Palestine and Israel were asked to reflect estinian media face. Moreover, they show that that matter. Their job is to uncover reality and on how local media covers the conflict and oth- journalists on both sides of the conflict identify hold political leaders on all sides to account. In er news. These pieces have been organized many of the same problems and also recog- short, they should serve the public. But in times here into four broad sections. The first chap- nize the same solution: placing professionalism of conflict, the question is: which public? ter explores different ways in which the news above patriotism, and ensuring that press free- is skewed, especially Israeli and Palestinian doms are protected. Political differences are not the only wedge coverage of the Arab uprisings. The second between journalists in Israel and Palestine. A chapter looks at the tension between being a slew of physical barriers hinder local news- patriot and a good journalist. The third section gatherers, who often have less freedom to trav- describes some of the day-to-day restrictions el between and within Israeli and Palestinian that hinder reporting and build frustration. In areas than their foreign colleagues. the last section, the authors suggest ways that

International Press Institute Flags and Barriers | 5 6 | International Press Institute Flags and Barriers Chapter 1 Skewed News

International Press Institute Flags and Barriers | 7 no questions are ever asked. Why was there a she had no pre-existing condition. The army Challenging the demonstration? Were the Palestinians armed? insisted that it had not used unusually large Did they attack the soldiers? What danger did amounts of tear gas, but photos showed that Army’s Narrative they present to Israeli security? the village was blanketed in clouds of tear gas. The Israeli media did not interview the of Events in the For the listener who is unfamiliar with Palestinian physician; nor did they publish these demonstrations—i.e., the vast major- photographs of the tear gas clouds. West Bank and Gaza ity of Israelis—the impression is that there is some symmetry of violence here. There are The IDF spokesperson’s monopoly on By Lisa Goldman never any basic questions asked, such as why the narrative was particularly egregious dur- the Palestinians are demonstrating, what an il- ing Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli military The Israeli media’s coverage of events in legal riot is, whether it is possible for Pales- invasion of Gaza in 2008-2009. The media Palestine is quite poor. Far too often, the IDF tinians to obtain a permit to demonstrate (no) was prevented from entering Gaza, while the spokesperson’s statements are reported at and so on. Most Israelis have no idea why the spokesman’s office inundated Israeli editors face value, with reporters failing to ask dif- Palestinians of Bil’in, Na’alin, Nabi Saleh and with a glut of information: photos taken from ficult questions that might undermine the other villages are protesting. They don’t ab- drones, statements from officers in the field, army’s narrative. Editors, too, are reluctant sorb that the demonstrators are unarmed, and and so on. There was no way for the editors to publish too many stories about Palestin- they don’t see why there might be a problem to verify the veracity of this information first ian events because they believe the public is with fully armed soldiers entering a Palestin- hand, because there were no reporters in the not interested. I wonder, though, if the public ian village and dousing it in tear gas, rubber field. The only way to obtain an eyewitness has lost interest because the media has failed bullets, and skunk gas. Mainstream Israelis account would have been to contact a Pales- to make the story of Palestine compelling have a vague impression that these demon- tinian reporter in Gaza, which some report- and nuanced. strators are potential terrorists who threaten ers and editors did do, but not often. Given the security of Israel. deadline pressure and competition from rival Israeli reporters almost never attend Fri- news outlets, most editors published informa- day demonstrations in the West Bank. Usually, When Jawaher Abu Rahmah, a 42-year-old tion supplied by the army spokesman without Army Radio and the Israel Broadcast Author- resident of Bil’in, died after inhaling tear gas verifying it. ity quote the IDF spokesperson’s summary of at a weekly demonstration on 31st December these events as straight news. On many oc- 2010, the army claimed she had a pre-existing The result of a longstanding policy of tak- casions, driving back to Tel Aviv following a condition. The mainstream Israeli media re- ing the IDF spokesperson’s statements at face demonstration in the West Bank, I’ve heard the ported the army’s version. No-one called the value is that the media is—intentionally or radio announcer report that there was an il- Palestinian physician who had treated her; nor not—perpetuating the official Israeli narrative legal and violent riot in a Palestinian village did they interview her family or other eyewit- and reducing the Palestinians to caricatures. (or in several villages), and that the Israeli nesses, who included Israeli activists. Accord- I would like to discuss how we can change army was forced to use crowd control mea- ing to the attending physician, who offered Ms this—assuming we want to. And we do, right? sures. Palestinians are never interviewed, and Abu Rahmah’s medical records to the media,

8 | International Press Institute Flags and Barriers rely on Arab media reports from Syria for infor- On Not Depicting mation. In general, coverage is distinctly hostile towards the current Syrian regime. It is better the Other Side for Israel if Syria becomes engrossed in a civil war, though Israel boasts that it stands for de- in Coverage of the mocracy and freedom of expression.

Arab Spring Israel’s main interest in the Arab revolutions, which the Israeli press dealt with at length, is By Lara Habash their repercussions on Israeli national security. If the coverage of the Israeli press on the Arab When reading Israeli newspapers about the Spring were fair, it would express delight in the revolutions and demonstrations that took place democratic change. However, Israeli media has in the region, and even when looking at what dealt with the Arab Spring from a security per- politicians said at international conferences, we spective alone. noticed that the Israeli reaction towards the Arab Spring expressed clear delight. This is because Arab media depicted Israel as the main these demonstrations were supposed to topple benefactor of the old despotic regimes, which dictators and bring in democratic regimes. The were shown to directly serve the strategic in- democratic countries would not fight with each terests of Israel. Consequently, change poses other, but would cooperate amongst them- a threat to Israeli national security. This change selves. As a result, the new Arab world would will weaken Israel’s position in the region and become preoccupied in settling its own internal increase the influence of Islamic movements affairs, and would not think about the Palestinian including Hamas. Additionally, a democratic issue, and would be less hostile towards Israel. transition will cause Israel to lose its ability to claim that it is a democratic island in a sea of However, this delight soon turned into worry totalitarian regimes. and gloom as Islamists emerged and won elec- tions. Israel realised that the revolutions would In my opinion, the Arab press makes do not bring about liberalisation, but would rather with official statements issued by Israeli agen- bring in forms of political Islam that are hostile to cies and think tanks. I have not seen a single Israel. As a result, the Israeli press began talking article or analysis (including research and about the “Arab Winter” or the “Islamic Winter”. investigation) dealing with the way Israeli press covered, or the stance of Israel on, the On the topic of Syria, there is huge interest Arab revolutions. in the Israeli media and among its followers, who

International Press Institute Flags and Barriers | 9 we called “ruler”—a title normally reserved The Earth is for tyrants. Maybe our gratitude to Mubarak for helping preserve the peace had blinded Shaking in Egypt us over the years, but even on the day he re- By Gal Berger signed, we couldn’t see him as a dictator. In our blindness, we hadn’t seen his people’s burning hate, which suddenly erupted in front of our Friday, February 11, 2011, six p.m. The eyes like a volcano. country’s televisions are tuned to Egyptian TV. Expecting a dramatic announcement, we Losing our strategic ally, our gatekeeper wait. Omar Suleiman appears on the screen. of peace on Israel’s southern borders, Black This man, head of Egyptian Intelligence, who February took us by surprise. We were angry until now has been seen in Israel as one of the with the Egyptian masses. Why did they do strongest men in the Middle East, seems, for this to us? We felt betrayed. And in our heads the first time, worried. Low spirited, dejected. we wondered if he could really be hated that He makes a short announcement lasting just a much, and where all that hate came from. Was few seconds, no more. A few seconds that will it possible that we knew better what was good change the Middle East forever: Mubarak has for the Egyptian people? We were also angry resigned, has succumbed to the masses. Thirty with Mubarak for letting us down and not sav- years at the helm couldn’t overcome the pro- ing the day. He left us alone in the centre of the testers in the public squares. That’s it. The end Middle Eastern ocean, in the eye of the storm. of an era. On my Facebook page, I commemo- rate the moment with one word: history. None of the commentators here predicted it; no-one believed that Mubarak would give Friday, February 11, 2011 was, in the eyes up so quickly, without a battle. The arrogance, of average Israelis, the tragic nadir of what is decisiveness, finality of many journalists and now known as the Arab Spring. Mubarak was commentators here turned to silence, embar- never perceived here as a dictator, or as a rassment, and self-flagellation. In an attempt to tyrant oppressing his people; we always saw calm things down (or perhaps to calm them- him in a two-dimensional, some would say selves down), some said the day belonged self-serving, way. After all, he’s the man who to the Facebook and Twitter generation, who preserved the peace with Israel, as cold as it kept popping up on foreign channels claiming had become. For us it was enough. We had al- that this was a democratic revolution of young ways respected him: the media referred to him people with a modern, Western orientation. So as President of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, unlike despite all the radical sermons heard in Tah- his contemporary to the west, Gaddafi, whom rir Square, the calls against the Jews (Khaybar,

10 | International Press Institute Flags and Barriers KhaybaryaYahoud), the anti-Western slogans, seen recently in the Israeli media. Sometimes I journalists and commentators were blind to the wonder how we would have covered a similar facts once again. There were those who were event in Egypt, had Mubarak not succumbed quick to call this the Islamic Revolution, a Kho- to the masses but started bombing towns and meini-style revolution. In Egypt, they crowned villages in the region of Cairo. I wonder what the Muslim Brotherhood a rising force, the the reaction of the Israeli media would be in country’s next rulers. But during the parliamen- that scenario. Would the headlines also scream tary elections a year after the fall of Mubarak, “massacre!”, or would it have been something everyone was surprised by the rise of another along the lines of “Mubarak attempts to defeat force, more radical still—the Salafi movements, the rebels”? With Assad, there’s no dilemma; which no-one here ever took into account. In everyone knows we have much less love for Egypt, apparently, they thought differently. him. But what if it was Mubarak? We’ll probably never know. In Israel, our understanding of both Egypt and the rest of the Arab world comes through a smokescreen. Israeli journalists still cover and explain news from afar, from a convenient distance, far from reality. Nobody can predict the future, in the same way that nobody was aware of the undercurrents bubbling there for so many years. The sensible lesson—humble news coverage—was not learnt in the case of Egypt. We still view Egypt through a narrow- angle lens: is what’s going on there good for us Israelis, or is it bad? Is Egypt joining the bo- som of Islam? What will happen to the peace agreement? These questions are asked, for example, in reports about any of their presi- dential candidates. We need to know if he is for us or against us. And what about whether this or that candidate would benefit Egypt or not? Well, sorry, those are their problems, not ours. But is that really so?

“Bashar al-Assad massacres his people.” This, phrased in various ways, is the headline

International Press Institute Flags and Barriers | 11 Analysts followed him on those stations the army’s story. They show officers, pictures Israeli Media and in those programmes and news bulletins, and reports that strengthen that narrative and echoing his words: Ehud Yaari on Channel present the Israeli public with an illusion called Serving the Two described the Palestinian Popular Resis- the War on Terror. tance Committees as “the Mafia”, and another Official Narrative analyst talked about the success of the army In every confrontation with the Palestinians, in making the Islamic Jihad Movement pay an Israeli media renounces its role of conveying By Muhammad Yunus enormous price… information to the Israeli public, and voluntarily takes on another role, by helping officials fab- (Note: This essay was written several months I was always an admirer of Israeli media ricate an illusion and sell it to the Israeli public. before the November 2012 conflict in Gaza) because it dealt with internal affairs with an audacity not found in Arab media. I worked In every new confrontation with the Pal- No sooner had the latest Israeli military on this when I entered a career in journal- estinians, Israeli media hastens to switch from operations been launched in Gaza last March ism. I often used the model of the Israeli me- a modern form of media to a form of media 2012 than another, similar war was launched in dia to train Palestinian and Arab journalists to found in third world countries, the countries Israel’s media. conduct bold interviews with government of- among which Israelis are constantly fighting to ficials, and to conduct bold investigations into prove that they do not belong. The pictures, reports and interviews in governmental institutions, banks and religious Israel’s media during the military operations communities. But the Israeli media goes to war seem as if they were same ones that we saw, on the side of the army when the issue at hand heard and read when the Second Palestin- is related to Palestinians. Then most news con- ian Intifada broke out: Israeli officials wearing sists of pictures, reports and statements from military uniforms discussing war operations military and political institutions. and progress in killing the “terrorists” who were planning to kill Jews, analysts commend- In the latest military operation, this media ing the army and presenting information from presented Israelis with a fake, made-up image security services, pictures of the Iron Dome of the war that was real only in the minds of the and columns of smoke rising from cars, blown government and the army commanders who up bodies… directed the attacks in Gaza to fulfil their mili- tary and political aims. The Defence Minister, Ehud Barak, looked down at us from the screens of every television Israeli analysts working for newspapers station, announcing, “We will strike all those and research centres present more reasonable who strike us with an iron fist…the Iron Dome reports, but television and radio stations and gives us the power to fight back…” even basic news reports are another story –

12 | International Press Institute Flags and Barriers The moments when television screens, ra- The second reason is that this all-male About Women dio channels and newspapers are filled with image subconsciously conveys the message faces, voices, and names of men who enter that only men can be authoritative, only men By Anat Saragusti and leave TV studios explaining and interpret- can interpret reality, only men are profes- ing events. sional enough to give us the full picture. Only It happens every time. An invisible hand men can. And this influences how we, uncon- working behind the scenes weaves the uni- Yes, there are some women, but on the all- sciously, as a society, treat men as authorita- fied image. The all-male picture. The picture male sets, these women are often perceived tive, active, and superior, and women as infe- we have all become accustomed to, and we as ornaments or gimmicks rather than any- rior and passive. do not even ask ourselves why. That moment thing important, although most of these wom- when the entire TV screen is painted with men en are serious, articulate, and prominent jour- The third reason is that this all-male pa- and only men. nalists. But their presence does not change rade into our lives delivers us a very spe- the picture; it simply highlights the absence cific reality—the reality of men. And we all It happens always at events of national or of women. know that men and women see things differ- international importance. The events that re- ently: women’s reality differs to the reality of quire seriousness, authority, maturity, profes- And of course next to these excellent men. Anyone in an intimate relationship with sionalism, interpretation, stern expression, women, there is a long, long list of commenta- someone of the opposite sex knows that; and national responsibility. We all know them. tors, scholars, experts, broadcasters, journal- we don’t need piles of research to prove gen- These events glue us to our TV screens and ists, speaker—and they are all men. der difference. radio receivers as we track the drama taking place in the here and now. Why does it matter? This question is Does this dominant focus on the all-male asked automatically. Indeed, what does it mat- image come from the fact that most of the pro- It happens when the prime minister ter who says what, who presents the report, ducers, editors and directors in the media are meets with the president of the United States; the data, who helps us understand reality? men, and they are not familiar with another it happens in events related to the conflict image? If so, it’s time to make a change. with the Palestinians, in negotiation meetings; But I want to argue that this is important. It it happens with coverage of the Arab Spring; is important for several reasons: it happened when the Palestinians submitted to the UN the request to be recognised as a The first reason is that the all-male picture state. It happens so often that we no longer does not reflect reality off-screen, where there notice it. is a female majority.

International Press Institute Flags and Barriers | 13 14 | International Press Institute Flags and Barriers Chapter 2 The Job of Journalists

International Press Institute Flags and Barriers | 15 slogan, in English, ‘1 shot, 2 kills’–and these are my siblings and cousin to an IDF solider. I am Identity Crisis – only a few examples. many other things, and, yes, I am also a journal- ist. And as part of the media, when you write Being a Journalist in A few months ago, I gave a lecture to a about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, IDF activi- group of young Israelis and presented them ties, the West Bank, the settlements, and many a State of War with this feature for discussion. The most com- other topics, the clash between the “Israeli” By Uri Blau mon reaction did not relate to the content and and “journalist” identities is almost inevitable. meaning of the article, rather to the effect the feature would have on the image of Israel: ‘You I think I can formulate my own solution to The most widely circulated Israeli news- are an Israeli, so why do you choose to write this schizophrenic problem with a slogan that paper today, YisraelHayom (Israel Today), runs about these topics? It serves the enemy’, they can be used as a vision in any newspaper: ‘Re- under the motto ‘Remember we are Israelis’. said. Looking back, I realise I cannot count member you are a journalist—and remember But what does this actually mean? That we the number of times I’ve heard this sentence what that means!’ I am afraid many working in should always take the side of the state? That following an article I published. It comes from the media have forgotten one truth: a journalist we should know to make the right choice when friends, family, and people I don’t know, some- has the responsibility to provide as much infor- a journalistic truth we are about to print might times with an additional curse for emphasis. mation as feasible for the public and to provide offend Israelis? That we shouldn’t publish the public with as many tools possible to judge things that might harm the Israeli spirit? Unfortunately, it is not only the general its surroundings. This means you have to pub- public that expresses this attitude, but also lish the truth, any truth, no matter what the truth In March 2009, I published a feature in journalists and editors. They, too, are members is, whether you like it or not. Haaretz revealing certain Israel Defense Forces of Israeli society, many of them believing in it soldiers’ design choices that were printed on and acting upon their beliefs. Others simply shirts ordered to mark the end of their training. think that most of their readers don’t want to I learned that images of dead babies, moth- deal with such negativity, so why annoy them? ers weeping on their children’s graves, a gun This kind of approach leads to the current situ- aimed at a child, and bombed-out mosques ation, found in most of the Israeli media today: were common. The slogans accompanying very limited coverage and an ethnocentric ap- the images were not exactly anaemic either: proach, which means that most of the public a t-shirt for infantry snipers bears the slogan sees only one part of the picture. ‘Better use Durex’ next to a picture of a dead Palestinian baby, with his weeping mother and I can understand this dilemma is difficult. a teddy bear beside him. A sharpshooter’s t- Each of us possesses an endless list of identi- shirt from the Givati Brigade’s Shaked Battal- ties that define us: I, for example, am a Jew- ion shows a pregnant Palestinian woman with ish male, an Israeli citizen, and resident of Tel a bullseye superimposed on her belly with the Aviv. I am also a son to my parents, brother to

16 | International Press Institute Flags and Barriers The conclusion reached by following up survey and others present a new reason to Autoimmunity on the Galilee Centre’s data and the daily change upper leadership and rework its pri- By Wadea Awawdy news in the newspapers is that giving social orities, starting with education reform and lo- education classes a deserving space in the cal governance. school curriculum could have lessened the The media tends to emphasize negative number of dangerous occurrences, such as This will only become a reality by electing phenomena and to colour reality in black children being run over outside their homes, the High Follow-Up Committee for Arabs in Is- or in “black and white”, but usually it reflects or the number of vehicular accidents, which rael in a direct manner, because even though the truth. occur twice as frequently among Arabs in Is- it has been reformed and reconstructed, in its rael as among the general population. current form, based on quotas, and with a dated The data from a socio-economic sur- outlook, it is too weak to make any real progress. vey published by the Galilee Centre in 2011 The same goes for workplace accidents, It is not capable of tackling challenges, retain- showed that Arab society in Israel is not well which have begun to claim a victim per week. ing any gains made, or ploughing a way towards and is suffering for a number of objective and These are not the result of fate, and could be building a real citizenship in Israel. subjective reasons. avoided with due caution and better safety measures, despite the conditions of low-paid This process will not, as some believe, This was clear from the number of school jobs. Sometimes, it is enough to just don a hel- lead to the isolation of the Arab citizens or a drop-outs, from poor academic records, and met to save the life of a worker. And these are deepening of tensions with the Israelis; on the an epidemic increase in the number of smok- just a few examples. contrary, this is a launch pad for dialogue with ers, chronic illnesses, violence and unemploy- the Jewish majority in search of different con- ment, especially among women. But much of Arab society in Israel is still figurations that will serve both parties’ goals. stuck in a rut blaming discriminatory Israeli In addition, the numbers warned of an policies and being part of the “we are right” The real test of the Jewish majority of de- unprecedented housing crisis in the next de- group. They do nothing but blame Israel with- mocracy is how much they respect the rights cade, which will not only affect those who can- out really trying to break through its barriers of the minority. However, the minority has to not find shelter. in order to achieve some gains. give reassurances. Despite the difference in numbers we are behaving like a majority be- These negative results didn’t cause a stir Fighting on the external front may be eas- cause we are surrounded by Arab countries, when they were published, because socio- ier than trying for self-improvement, but will whereas they are behaving as a minority for economic and political crises serve to remind the political and local leadership succeed in the very same reason. us of the everyday reality. There is a possibil- making serious gains externally if the internal ity for progress despite official racial discrimi- front is weak, chaotic, fractured, and if the in- The weakness of the local Arab media nation, and to blame all of our problems on dividual comes before the group? and its lack of critical perspectives are exac- Israel and the occupation without looking at erbating the situation. It should offer broader our own faults will lead to nothing but talk. Most of the challenges today and tomor- perspectives as a first step to creating the nec- row that are revealed by the Galilee Centre essary change.

International Press Institute Flags and Barriers | 17 days, this disgusting incident dominated the to deal with it); another failure for the media. Distractions: media, which had, until then, been busy trying A classic case of Wag the Dog, the must-see to raise a feeble voice against the stalemate movie for every journalist, in which a smart Wag the Dog in the peace process. All officials were more producer makes up a virtual war to save the than happy to condemn the incident in sound failing campaign of an American president. By Lily Galili bites. They nurtured the story intentionally, The nation—with the help of its patriotic me- knowing the gullible media would eat right dia—unites around its president fighting a just (Please note: This essay was written in out of their hands. And indeed we did. We fol- but non-existent war. early 2012) lowed them like an obedient herd. Who even remembered the failure of futile negotiations I often feel like the dog being wagged. Sometimes I wonder if we, the media, are between Israelis and Palestinians in Jordan, let I’m just afraid that in some not-remote future terribly lazy, slightly stupid, or simply gullible. alone bothered to ask hard questions about a real war might be triggered just as a dis- None of these options are particularly pleas- what had happened there? Most Israelis had traction, a spin. Peace? Political agreement? ant, but each could explain why it is so easy no idea this meeting even occurred. Yes, we When was the last time the media raised the for any establishment—the politicians and can blame the fatigue factor—who wants to issue or started a public debate with focus their advisors—to distract our attention away hear more of the same?—but it’s certainly not on THE question that defines our life in the from what is unpleasant but really important a valid excuse for the media to just drop the Middle East? and focus it on news that is easier for them to issue when it’s convenient. deal with. Piece of cake, really. In the everlast- Politicians and their entourage are get- ing competition over agenda setting between The peace process is not the only exam- ting more and more cynical. Media, on the media and politics, the media rarely has the ple. Let’s look at Iran. I have a confession to other hand, are getting poorer and weaker. It’s upper hand. One totally irrelevant statement make: I don’t know if Iran has a nuclear bomb, a dangerous equation if we stick, out of fear made by a second-degree politician, not to and I don’t even know if Israel has any real or simple laziness, to the formula offered by mention the Prime Minister or Minister of De- intention of bombing Iran. I only know that, Wag the Dog. fence, and we immediately drop the agenda whenever in distress, like when the renewal we considered crucial just five minutes ago, of social protest threatens in Israel, politicians, and walk eyes wide shut into yet another trap Netanyahu in particular, opt for the bomb. Ver- prepared especially for us. bally, at least. At a carefully chosen moment, some politician who knows absolutely nothing In Israel, it’s usually the peace process makes noises that make him sound terribly with the Palestinians—or rather the lack of important and existential, and suddenly the it—that is hidden by distraction createdby social agenda, poverty, and unbelievable in- shrewd politicians. A recent example: Some come gaps disappear off front pages to make time ago Israel was up in arms against a seg- room for the “bomb”. Another victory for ment of the Orthodox population that had politicians who have no idea what to do with forced women to sit at the back of the bus. For the social programme (and don’t really want

18 | International Press Institute Flags and Barriers Media coverage of events in Arab coun- What troubles them is a possible transfer of Missing the tries has been reduced to daily reports on the chemical weapons from Syria to Lebanon and number of army deserters and refugees, of the rise of radical powers, a fear that is forcing Point in Arab people killed and of cities bombed. It’s difficult world leaders to negotiate with each other. But to rely on the material from news agencies to not enough is being said about the hypocrisy Spring Coverage tell the story in the way that you might like to of those superpowers, and their real faces are tell it. It’s also difficult, two years after the never- not being sufficiently exposed; the pressure By Yana Suryadnaya ending tumult and confrontations in the rav- that the media should exert is not being suf- aged country, to continue to produce personal ficiently exerted. Even from the media’s per- Just a couple of years have passed, and stories about those who were killed and those spective, with the story of the Arab uprisings already the phrase ‘Arab Spring’ has become leading the revolution, and still to stir emotions, being relegated to the sidelines, not enough is quite banal. The power of the tens of thousands to shock. But without emotional stories, there is being said in order to shame leaders. of human beings that sacrificed themselves on no way to have an impact, to genuinely influ- behalf of the Arab Spring has been lost. When ence the way a journalist ultimately should. It’s true that here in Israel we do not have an Israeli reads that tens of thousands have many ways of relating to individual aspects of died in the past two years in Syria’s civil war, Without those stories, it is impossible to the overall Syrian story. It’s true that for a journal- it doesn’t particularly impress him; he doesn’t reach the heart of the viewer/reader, or to influ- ist to get a close-up look at what is happening stop to consider the huge number of people, ence leaders’ decisions. The Arab Spring has, there could cost him his life. But with the means each with his own life story that disappears be- again, clearly shown us how hypocritical the at our disposal, as journalists, we should do hind a brief headline reporting unfathomable world is, how much of what in the West is called more, say more, and try to be more influential. death, unless that individual’s death confronts democracy is a game of interests. In places in us in a shocking photograph. We see the thou- which it is convenient and financially and politi- sands as a single bloc of people without any cally profitable to arbitrate, the West intervenes significance, without any value—all similar, all and begins, ostensibly, to build a so-called “de- the same. And the way we perceive a story in mocracy”. Recent incidents are condemned. Israel is based on how the media presents it. This is accompanied, at the most, by economic sanctions, which can’t really have any impact in A journalist tells the story, and the average a short period of time. Other places—many Af- person sees that story only through the journal- rican countries and Syria—are ignored. As one ist’s eyes. But often, as in the case of Syria, a of the rebels in Homs asked: Why isn’t anyone journalist in Israel first gets the story through intervening in the slaughter here? Is it because someone else’s eyes, either through those of we don’t have oil? a foreign journalist who managed to enter the burning country, or through those of opposi- Recently, the situation has changed a little. tion leaders who conveyed their version of the World powers are now more worried about the truthto him. situation in Syria, but for the wrong reasons.

International Press Institute Flags and Barriers | 19 the case despite several other prime minis- How different could the reporting have Israeli Media ters who’ve said during the past decade, and been if a woman was doing it? We can only not just once either, that there is a partner for guess. There’s a small clue if we look to re- Can’t Imagine a peace on the Palestinian side. porters covering military affairs. These days there are two women in the mainstream media Partner for Peace Yossi Verter, political commentator for doing this job. One of them, as well as being Haaretz, said at a conference a few years ago: a military correspondent, has also become By Anonymous “In Israel, we think that if the situation is calm, known for her focus on the service conditions there’s no need to talk about and promote a of soldiers and the interrelations of various el- It’s easy for Israelis to say that the end of peace process. And if there’s a conflict, why ements within the IDF. So here we have more the peace process was in 2000, when former should we speak of peace?” than mere coverage of military affairs; we Prime Minister Ehud Barak announced, upon have a broader picture. his return from the Camp David peace talks, He is right. But there’s more to it than that. that “Israel had no partner for peace.” And in- The media doesn’t have to report on the pro- We would have enjoyed exactly the same deed, since then there has been no reason for cess when it’s not there, and doesn’t have to picture had it also been applied to the Pales- that feeling to change. come up with the idea of peace when there’s tinian population, reminding us that maybe, a conflict around. But it definitely could look at just maybe, a partner may actually be spot- People usually choose their views from things a bit differently and broaden the scope ted on the horizon. With reports about village a number of available options. Yet only a few of the discussion. people, on how things are in Ramallah, on the ask questions and challenge the framework in daily life of common people and on their eco- which they live. The rest get their views from Barak’s concept of “no partner” has taken nomic, security-related and educational hard- the media. Yet ever since that Camp David root so well mainly because there was no at- ships, perhaps, by chance, we would have also event, and even more so since the unilateral tempt, either before or after Camp David, to discovered a partner. Or at least would have disengagement from the Gaza Strip, the me- look inside Palestinian society. Reporters who allowed our viewers, listeners, and readers the dia doesn’t talk about peace. Neither the pro- cover Palestinian matters are usually those option of imagining that one might exist. cess nor the possibility of it. So no option is also covering the Israeli settlements. Mostly placed before the average Israeli. they are males from a religious/traditional background. (I can only think of two women It is true that the peace process is dying. who have covered that region at some stage, It’s also true that, along the way, we helped it but both are not doing that anymore.) The die. In the past decade, the peace process motive behind this is clear: the reporting is has barely been aired for public debate, and based on good relations and an ability to un- certainly not in a way that would allow people derstand the settlers, their issues and ambi- to consider the two-state solution. And, for tions, etc. And that is fine. But not when there’s the most part, no attempt has been made to only one such reporter. challenge the “no partner” perception. This is

20 | International Press Institute Flags and Barriers This photograph etched itself in the con- about this photograph, with many people in The Power sciousness of the Israeli public as proof that Israel claiming that it is a fabrication con- the Palestinians are cruel barbarians. Since cocted by a French television station. The film of Pictures then, whenever there is a dispute, however remained controversial in 2013: a new report small, between Jews and Arabs, the Israeli an- commissioned by Israel claimed to have evi- By Danny Rubinstein nounces, ‘I thought the Arabs were about to dence that the footage was doctored and that lynch me’. This often gives Israelis the right the boy had not been killed during the inci- More than ten years ago, two photographs to harm the Palestinian, in the belief that they dent; on the other hand, Mohammed’s father were taken in the Palestinian Territories that were in danger of being lynched. and TV channel France 2, which had originally had a crucial impact on Israeli and Palestin- aired the footage, said that Israel’s findings ian public opinion. The photographs were A further consequence is the lucid, were biased and wrong. published across the media in Israel, the West graphic image of blood on their hands, which Bank and the Gaza Strip, in Arab countries the Israeli authorities use as a reason to refuse These examples are proof of the power and around the world. Their political impor- the release of Palestinian security prisoners. the picture has in the communications dis- tance of cannot be overemphasized. course in our conflict. Since then, Israel has done everything The first photograph is of the killing of possible to publish these horrific photo- two Israeli soldiers who inadvertently entered graphs worldwide, while, from the beginning, Ramallah. They found themselves in the midst the Palestinian Authority tried to prevent it. of a funeral of a young Palestinian who had The Italian television reporter who photo- been killed in a confrontation with the Israeli graphed the event also became embroiled in army. The soldiers were taken to the Ramallah the recriminations. police station, where a frenzied mob entered and killed them in front of a large crowd that The second, possibly even better known had gathered on the street. photograph, is of the child Mohammed al- Dura, who was shot dead in the arms of his In Israel, and not only in Israel, everyone father at the Netzarim intersection south of is familiar with the photograph that is called Gaza city. The shocking photograph made The Lynch in Ramallah, which shows a hor- a tremendous impact in the Arab world and rific picture of a soldier being thrown from the presents Israeli soldiers as being unbeliev- second-floor window and a mob of young- ably cruel. The name Mohammed al-Dura sters beating him to death. After this, a young is widespread in the Arab world; films have Palestinian appeared in the window of the po- been made about him and various institutions lice station from which the soldier was hurled, have been named in his honour. showing his hands covered with the blood of the Israeli victims. A legal battle has been raging for years

International Press Institute Flags and Barriers | 21 22 | International Press Institute Flags and Barriers Chapter 3 Obstacles

International Press Institute Flags and Barriers | 23 participation expands the gap between the The Role of the media and the people and saps the trust it should instill, leading to press freedom being Arab Revolutions in further thwarted and suppressed.

Press Freedom Journalists are variously summoned for interrogation, arrested, and prosecuted in By Anonymous Gaza and the West Bank, usually on criminal allegations that are often proven to be far from By liberating the press from some restric- the truth. In the first quarter of this year, many tions, not least self-censorship and subordina- were optimistic that press freedom horizons tion to the ruling regime, the Arab Revolutions would broaden after the agreements for Pal- have reminded the Arab world of values that estinian reconciliation in Cairo and Doha, but had disappeared. For decades dictators sacri- then violations by the Israeli army against ficed press freedom, creating a wide gap be- journalists through arrests and strikes dur- tween the media and the masses, which have ing the coverage of events, particularly in the a right to know the truth. But now, both in Tuni- West Bank, killed that hope. sia, where the revolutions and the Arab Spring started, and in Egypt, several newspapers and Israel’s policy of restricting movement de- private and independent television and radio prives journalists, foiling their ability to report stations have since surfaced, courageously effectively. In the Gaza Strip, only a very, very adhering to professional media ethics. small number of the approximately 1100 jour- nalists are allowed to travel to the West Bank, In Palestine, though, the media did not and in the West Bank most journalists are not take advantage of the Arab Spring. This was allowed to go to Jerusalem or Israel, or to trav- not least because of the unique situation in el between cities in Palestine. the Palestinian Territories, which is divided between the two opposing parties, Fatah and Palestinian journalists need freedom of Hamas, as well as the West Bank and Gaza. movement, and must fight against the restric- tions imposed by the local and Israeli au- Despite the positive vocational and tech- thorities; just as their colleagues in free-press nical progress made by Palestinian media, countries, Palestinians should have the right to many media houses line up behind specific stability in work and daily life. opposing factions; several publications are still instruments for one party or another. At the expense of the truth, this direct political

24 | International Press Institute Flags and Barriers point 300: the lanes increase in number and “Where is the accident?” Slow Down, Stop… the checkpoint is more like the border be- “Checkpoint, darling, checkpoint. Not ac- tween two countries. There things happen cident.” (The two words are similar to each There is a more quickly. other in our language, and to a child the word for checkpoint sounds like the word for acci- Checkpoint Ahead You can sometimes get lucky and con- dent). vince the soldiers you are a settler, so you “What does checkpoint mean?” By Anonymous are not forced to stop at all. If your features “Darling, the checkpoint is where soldiers betray you and one of them doubts your iden- stand and inspect people and their identities.” My daughter was not yet three years old, tity, he will stop you and ask you in Hebrew, “Why?” and it seemed to me that her difficult ques- “How are you?” If you have perfected the “Because… (God damn it)…” tions had started too soon. We were on our reply in Hebrew and say you are excellent, or “Come on, Dad, just go…” way home from a celebration in Bethlehem, a at least very good, you will pass the check- After this, first came the tears and then… distance of not more than five minutes from point safely. If you stutter and reply with hesi- “Dad, I need the toilet.” our house in Jerusalem. We had spent an en- tation, angry after waiting for so long, speak- How could we convince her to relieve joyable time in the city, an enjoyable time with ing Hebrew with an Arabic accent, you will herself in the open, or at the checkpoint, or our daughter. usually be asked the next question, “Where in any place not designed for that purpose? It are you from?” Your answer this time will settle had only been a short while ago that we had On our return journey, we chose the the issue. taught her that one should only go in a specific quickest route to our house, the Checkpoint place. How could we explain to her why there 300 road, as they call it in their language. If they discover you are Arab, you will was a checkpoint and what the occupation is? Many of our roads have been named after the definitely be moved to the right lane, the lane How could we teach her not to hate the other, checkpoint found on them, or vice versa, the for Palestinians and foreigners. There you when she saw the other dominating her play- checkpoint adopts the name of the nearest will stop and wait again for your turn to be time, her joy and the place where she relieved street, village, camp, or tunnel. It is necessary searched. There, no one will ask you, “How herself? Our daughter’s crying increased, our to name the checkpoints to distinguish them are you?” There, they do not care how you anger increased, and our wait was long. for there are many in our country. are, or about your anger, your mood, your joy, your grief, your illness, or about how much We arrived at the checkpoint. There time you have spent, or rather wasted, at the was not a long queue of cars waiting to be checkpoints. There, they don’t care. searched, so we decided to stay and not drive to the quicker checkpoint further away, More than a quarter of an hour passed which is named the Tunnels Checkpoint, while we were waiting and our daughter be- through Beit Jala. At the Tunnels Checkpoint, gan to get restless. the settlers also cross into the West Bank, so “Dad, why have you stopped?” the checkpoint is more elegant than Check- “We’re at the checkpoint, darling.”

International Press Institute Flags and Barriers | 25 held his phone to his microphone, bringing to Getting Across to the Israeli public, for the first time in years, the Freedom of the Seventy Percent raw tragedy of innocent Palestinians dying. Movement and Abu El-Ayash spent most of his life treat- By Anonymous ing patients in both Israeli and Palestinian hos- its Effect on pitals and was a well-known voice on Channel (Please note: This essay was written in 10, so both the harrowing broadcast and the Media Coverage early 2012) empathy he received from his Israeli friend, I By Lara Habash believe, influenced Israeli opinion regarding The Gaza Strip is a story untold, a ques- the bombings in Gaza. tion mark for many Israelis, because its story Freedom of movement is the fundamen- is almost totally silenced in the Israeli media. This, however, was an isolated incident, a tal condition for the freedom of expression, Israelis interested in the reality of living by lone voice screaming from behind the block- which is the basic principle behind freedom Israel’s southern borders need to know the ade. Unfortunately, Gazan authorities outlaw of the press. Having physical access is essen- truth about Gaza, but neither Israeli media social media to stop dissenters from mobil- tial, as the journalist is then the first witness nor the world media report the Strip’s narra- ising local and international support, and to the event that is taking place. Restricting tive. But this is not due to the media’s laziness lean on local reporters to use their reports freedom of movement for a journalist has an or lack of interest: the blockade on the strip to preclude any popular uprising. Similarly, impact on his credibility and on his ability to and Hamas’s rule of fear against the media Israeli authorities prohibit journalists enter- report what is happening around the world, prohibit Israeli journalists from entering the ing the Gaza Strip, citing safety and related because he cannot get to the source of the area and prevent Israeli newspapers from us- political considerations. So, while open and event to report the information and facts as ing local freelance journalists on the ground. direct coverage of events in Gaza could en- they are. Consequently, what he does report courage internal pressure on the Hamas lead- will not be authentic. If the journalist depends Yet it was at the height of a military con- ership, the possibility of rational news cover- on a witness other than himself—for example, flict some years ago that the Israeli public got age is neutralised. if he covers events via television, or if he relies a rare glimpse into the Gaza Strip, into the on wire reports—his credibility is weakened. home of one Hebrew-speaking Gazan doctor, According to a 2011 poll, 70% of the Pal- Coverage from the heart of the arena always Dr Izz A-Din Abu el-Ayash. A regular guest on estinians in Gaza and the West Bankopposed differs entirely from coverage from outside. Israeli Channel 10, Abu El-Ayash’s distraught the Gaza rocket launchings. If journalists were voice dramatically penetrated the Israeli con- able to approach the population freely, giving I would like to address three aspects science when he called Channel 10 reporter dissidents the freedom to express themselves, of the freedom of movement for a Palestinian Shlomi Eldar live on air just moments after public opinion might influence leaders, push- journalist: the his house was bombed by the IDF, and his ing them toward political pragmatism instead three daughters killed. In horror, he called his of Islamist radicalisation. As long as the block- Firstly: Freedom of movement within the friends and contacts to beg for help. Shlomi ade continues—internally by Hamas, exter- Palestinian Territories: Palestinian journalists Eldar, broadcasting to the nation at the time, nally by Israel—we will not know. face several obstacles in being able to move

26 | International Press Institute Flags and Barriers freely within the Palestinian Territories. For countries of the world except Gaza! Israel’s considerations that make them refrain from example, when the Second Intifada broke refusal to give them permits to enter the Strip publishing news, such as their fear of threats out in 2002, Israel prevented several foreign has an impact on the unity of the Palestinian from the party or the centres of power in and Palestinian journalists from accessing people as a whole.It is the right of journalists society, or their fear of accusations of using the location of events with the barriers it had from the West Bank and Gaza to exchange terminology that harms the reputation of the put in place, and it declared the hot spots information, as it is this information that will nation. This contradicts journalistic principles. closed military zones. Israel thus placed re- form public opinion and allow the residents I can say that a Palestinian journalist does not strictions on the movement of the foreign and of the West Bank to get to know about the Pal- have complete freedom of expression. Self- Arab press, which all then began to rely on estinian community in Gaza and vice versa. If censorship has increased, particularly after what other agencies were reporting. Thus the I, as a Palestinian journalist, were allowed to the divide. coverage was not objective, accurate or com- enter Gaza, there are several issues I would plete, particularly with respect to humanitar- like to write about, such as the economy, so- As for Israel, it has two standards in deal- ian issues. cial customs, the political balance and the dif- ing with press issues. Regarding internal Is- ference between Hamas in the West Bank and raeli affairs that are not related to security, For example, when clashes were at their Hamas in Gaza. there is a lot of freedom of expression. How- peak in Jenin and Nablus, as well as in Pal- ever, when the matter is linked to a security estinian regions, it was impossible for the Thirdly: Freedom of Movement inside Is- issue, specifically relating to the Arab-Israeli Arab press and the foreign press to access raeli Territory: Israeli journalists are the only conflict, Israel changes into a security state those regions, take pictures of the victims and ones in Israeli who can move completely free- that imposes rules and regulations on both convey the image of the real humanitarian ly in Palestinian regions except Gaza, while Arab and Israeli journalists. If a Palestinian situation. On the other hand, when the explo- Palestinian journalists do not enjoy such free- journalist wants to report news relating to sions – the suicide operations – took place in dom of movement, and cannot even access Is- Israel, he faces several obstacles and chal- an Israeli region like Jerusalem, all the roads raeli regions. As a result, the Palestinian press lenges, the most important of them being the would be open for the foreign press to get to receives information from the Israeli press inability to access sources of information, es- the area of the explosion. As a result, the West and translates it into Arabic. If a Palestinian pecially sources for security issues. A Pales- thought that most of the victims were Israe- journalist was allowed to move freely in Israeli tinian journalist does not receive information lis. This in turn led to Western public opinion territories, he could write about the Israeli from an Israeli politician as easily as an Israeli sympathising with the Israeli people, as it was community, its ethnic make-up and more. journalist does. the Palestinians who were targeting unarmed Israeli civilians! There is another important issue I wish There is also no room for comparison, as to point out, that of self-censorship, which re- Israel deals with Israeli press differently to the Secondly: Freedom of Movement from the stricts some topics being published. The ex- way it deals with foreign and Palestinian press. West Bank to the Gaza Strip and vice versa: The isting conflict between Fatah and Hamas and restrictions that Israel has imposed donot give the restrictions that the two parties impose on journalists of the West Bank access to Gaza, the press have an effect on the quality of the and vice versa. It is ironic when we say that reports and the stories that Palestinian jour- Palestinian journalists can travel to all the nalists publish. The journalists have several

International Press Institute Flags and Barriers | 27 28 | International Press Institute Flags and Barriers Chapter 4 Steps in the Right Direction

International Press Institute Flags and Barriers | 29 came from outside. My publishing it caused Cooperation After I realised what was happening, quite a storm, and the person who gave me things only got better and took on different the list, a Fatah member, was indeed elected to Bypass Barriers, forms. When Palestinian journalists could not for parliament. obtain confirmation from the Israeli security Censorship and authorities because they did not have ac- This method bypassed restrictions from cess to them, they worked through me. It was both Israeli and Palestinian authorities that Silencing easier for me to verify the stories, or at least limit freedom of the press, and minimized to obtain a reaction, and after I published threats to the journalist’s personal safety that By Danny Zaken them, they were transferred to the Palestin- would have arisen if he himself published ian media. sensitive information, instead of ostensibly Long before the Internet era, in which copying a news item that was published by nearly everything is revealed and open, we This also worked in the opposite direc- someone else. needed other ways of bypassing prohibitions tion, albeit differently. News items from Israeli and censorship. The most enjoyable was, and sources that I was unable to verify on the The method requires trust and reliability still is, cooperation between reporters on both Palestinian side were transferred to my fel- between the partnering journalists because, sides of the barrier. low journalists, who checked them, obtained in fact, this is a co-production. The publish- answers, and of course published the story in ing journalist is dependent on a source that Initially this wasn’t a conscious decision. their newspapers if possible. The restricted is actually more than a source: he is a journal- As a correspondent for the Itim news agen- freedom of the press became the freedom to ist with a story that has been examined and cy, I received stories from Palestinian col- copy, and the problematic access to sources cross-checked. As this transfer is indeed a leagues. For example, a journalist from Jenin on the other side didn’t really disturb the pro- two-way street, with stories running in both once told me how traders in the city had criti- cess if there was someone who had better ac- directions, journalists on both sides have an cized a number of strikes that were affecting cess to them. interest in maintaining credibility, and they will their livelihood. The item was published the not send a story to the other side that is not next day in an Israeli newspaper, and a day In extreme cases, Palestinian sources precise and trustworthy, or that, heaven for- after that it was covered in two Palestinian would pass a story on to an Israeli journalist, bid, is false. newspapers that used a quote from the Is- like me, to serve their own interests. At the raeli media. The journalist who had given me beginning of the 1990s, for example, a Pal- One story will serve as an example: an of- the story worked for one of those Palestinian estinian figure in Ramallah gave me a list of ficer in the Israeli Civil Administration used to papers. At first, I didn’t make the connection, the names of candidates for a parliament that demand and receive bribes from Palestinians but the penny dropped when I discovered had not yet been established. The aim was to in return for entry permits to Israel. One jour- more and more instances: the journalist who get the list published first in Israel and then nalist who needed a permit approached the had given me the information didn’t publish reprint it in Al-Fajr and, in this way, to examine officer, was told to pay the bribe, and refused. until I did. reactions in Ramallah to a list that apparently He didn’t receive the permit, but his name

30 | International Press Institute Flags and Barriers was entered ona list of those prohibited from ble to encourage independent journalists and entering Israel, allegedly for security reasons. Unprofessional independent media institutions to use profes- Although he wanted to publish the story, he sional terminology that is more neutral, in the feared that he would lose his chance to ever Media Terminology same way international news agencies do, by obtain an entry permit. I got the story and ex- developing an effective and creative initiative, amined it discreetly with a reliable security of- Strengthens the led by journalists, academics, and lawyers ficial. An investigation was conducted, and the who have influence in their communities. corrupt officer was arrested and jailed. The Culture of Hate story was published without the name of the There are whispers of change, but any By Anonymous Palestinian journalist – who subsequently ap- change is difficult and risky because each plied for and received a permit. community bears enmity and prior hatred, It may be that the relationship between and is further hindered by the failure of politi- In conclusion, cooperation of this kind has Palestinian and Israeli media is based more cal leaders on both sides to achieve a break- enormous advantages. It creates a win-win sit- on enmity and disharmony than on conver- through in the settlement process. All the av- uation, without which it is impossible to cover gence and mutual understanding. You often enues open to an independent politician feel the other side properly. feel that you are in a battle whose soldiers are closed, and the possibilities for journalists numerous journalists. It is as if they are fuel striking out alone are limited. for the politicians. Many of the terms used by media on each side increase the hatred and In light of the complexities of the situation, bring us further from peace, which we are individual initiatives seem the best option for otherwise striving towards. bringing about change in popularised media terminology in Palestine and Israel without Among these terms are the words neglecting to demand that politicians remove “resistance” and “terrorism”. Palestinian me- obstacles on the road to freedom of the press. dia considers its citizens armed resistance Therefore, European journalists are of utmost fighters, while Israeli media describes them importance in pushing towards press freedom as terrorists. A significant increase in the cul- and providing the necessary climates, such as ture of hate between the Palestinians and Is- the IPI has, for example by organizing work- raelis has appeared simply based on these shops to discuss similar issues. differing terminologies.

It appears that political rhetoric between Israel and Palestine makes the culture in the region’s official and semi-official media very difficult to change. However, it could be possi-

International Press Institute Flags and Barriers | 31 cards for more than a decade. There are a True, Yedioth could afford to make a Israeli Journalists few exceptions—mostly amongst Palestinian strong statement because it was the biggest residents of East Jerusalem, such as Atta Aw- and most important mainstream newspaper in Should Defend isat, a photojournalist who works for Yedioth Israel. But I do feel that Israeli journalists can Aharonoth. Awisat has suffered violence and do much more to speak up on behalf of their Press Freedom for humiliation at the hands of Israeli security Palestinian colleagues—particularly in cases officers, but he told me that his GPO card is when we are all covering the same event but Their Palestinian more important than his national identity card. only the Palestinian journalists are harassed. As a Palestinian, he explained, he cannot roam And I think we should consider a boycott of Colleagues around Jerusalem with sophisticated cam- the GPO, pending reversal of its policy to re- era equipment. Soldiers automatically stop fuse accreditation to Palestinian journalists. By Lisa Goldman him and demand to see his identification; but once he shows his GPO card, they let him go. At almost every demonstration I have cov- The same is true when he passes through ered in the West Bank, I have seen Israeli se- military checkpoints. curity forces harass Palestinian journalists— even when they show their press credentials. Three years ago, during the routine annu- I’ve seen soldiers smash photographers’ lens- al renewal of GPO cards for Yedioth Aharonoth es; I’ve seen them shove journalists, threaten reporters, Atta Awisat was suddenly, without them, arrest them and shoot tear gas directly explanation, denied a new card. This would at them. have meant the end of his professional career. Photography is all he knows—he has been a I’ve also seen Israeli security forces professional for more than 20 years—and he harass Israeli and international correspon- supports a wife and two children. dents, but far less frequently. But I’ve never seen soldiers arrest them. A Palestinian jour- Shilo De Beer, who was then editor-in- nalist, if arrested, is treated just like a political chief of Yedioth Aharonoth, responded to the prisoner. As a Palestinian Authority resident, GPO by announcing that none of his staff s/he can be held without charge for weeks, would accept GPO cards until Atta’s was is- denied an attorney, and even be tried at Ofer sued, and that if the GPO refused to issue him Military Court. a card, then Yedioth would issue its own press cards. Ultimately, Danny Seaman, who was Palestinian journalists have been in- then the director of the GPO, backed down eligible for Israeli Government Press Office and issued Awisat a new card.

32 | International Press Institute Flags and Barriers an event that seemed to set a new standard to express their wish to find peace, despite Time for New for mutual understanding and partnership be- the fact that the same old leaders continue to tween Israelis and Arabs. fight over the same old points. Just last month, Voices in Israeli- Facebook developed a new app that could The virtual conference, which was the or- monitor interactions between Israelis and Palestinian Peace ganised by the Facebook-based group YaLa Palestinians; in one day there were more than Young Leaders, brought together more than 36,000 connections! Negotiations 12,000 people from across the region and at- tracted some high-level dignitaries, such as In another instance, two ordinary Israelis By Ruth Eglash Jordan’s Prince Hassan bin Talal, Secretary reached out to the Iranian people via Face- of State Hillary Clinton, blind opera superstar book with an anti-war message. The grass- (Note: This essay was written in early 2012) Andrea Bocelli and Barcelona football coach roots initiative received heart-felt responses Pep Guardiola, among others. from the Persian nation and garnered great The meetings between Israelis and Pal- support in Israel too, the message from both estinians initiated by Jordan earlier this year While the event only lasted two days and sides was that it is the leaders who cannot were met in the region with a wide range of was a one-off meet, the YaLa movement, which make peace, not the people. disparaging views, from tired apathy to utter is supported by Peres Center for Peace in Is- disdain and downright cynicism. rael and the Ramallah-based NGO Yala Pales- While editors might roll their eyes at re- tine, has an overwhelming 63,000 supporters porting again and again on such co-existence However, as the media reported only on its Facebook group indicating that there is initiatives, especially those that exist only in glimpses of the closed meetings and focused a solid base of people committed to finding a the virtual realm, the truth is that the virtual mainly on the disputes and disagreements way to resolve the on-going conflict. conversation is slowly becoming a reality for between the two parties, what seemed sorely many people, and perhaps it is time for the missing in the discourse was a critical look at The movement is not only about the one- media to boost these grassroots movements, how the same old players are keeping us in click “like” button but it continues to foster giving them more credibility than those lead- paralysis, and how there needs to be a way interaction and discussions in a non-threaten- ers that continue to meet and rehash the same for younger, perhaps more hopeful, voices to ing tone conducive to future similar endeav- points without any solid conclusions. be heard. ours. Already Yala is working to create other forums that can bring all Middle Easterners As expressed recently by President Shi- Just days after Israeli-Palestinian peace together to learn more about the interests mon Peres, while peace might not have stood negotiators Yitzhak Molcho and SaebErekat they have in common. a chance in the past, thanks to Facebook there clashed yet again in one of the Jordan meet- is now hope! ings, thousands of young people from across In other areas online too there are groups the Middle East gathered together online, for of young people who have come together

International Press Institute Flags and Barriers | 33 nalists and editors have simply given up try- The media on both sides will: (a) report on A Modest ing to understand the Palestinians. The views of all incidents in an impartial and factual manner; the Palestinians have not been given fair rep- (b) refrain from publishing rumors and base- Suggestion for a resentation and almost no one has bothered less accusations; (c) give fair representation to describe their suffering. The TV channels to the opinions and views of the other side; Simple Guide downplayed, and sometimes hid, the losses of (d) portray the suffering of the other side and the Palestinian side from their viewers. In the treat its victims with dignity and sensitivity; (e) By Yoel Esteron newspapers, dead children don’t get as much refuse to become a sounding board for indi- as a line on the front pages. viduals and organizations that promote terror Let us remind ourselves what we can do and violence. and what is beyond us. Journalists should The media on both sides have allowed the remain journalists, not soldiers in the battle- distinction between terrorists and innocent These are sketchy rules, of course, and field and not politicians in official negotiations. citizens to become hazy. They have deprived we can amend the language to everybody’s We should not fight, and we should not aspire the victims on the other side of their humanity. satisfaction. But we need to agree that we are to solve the historical conflict between Israe- Often, victims were forgotten, lost in translation. willing to adopt some rules. A simple guide for lis and Palestinians. It is not our duty. At the Many have died without their names or photo- journalists could be a start. same time we need to be accurate and hon- graphs ever making it into the papers. est, fair and humane and especially careful not to make the conflict even worse with in- Now, as Israelis and Palestinians are ex- flammatory words and images on our screens hausted and would not even care to listen to and pages. politicians trying to advance reconciliation be- tween the two peoples, the media must rethink For many years Palestinian journalists have its role. It is too easy to demand that Palestin- rallied to the national cause. They have oper- ians and Israelis commit themselves to “ending ated under the premise that they should repre- the incitement”. That would be too general. As I sent their people, whom they perceive as the said in the horrible days of the second intifada, only victims in this conflict. Unfortunately, many we need a kind of a guide for journalists that Palestinian media outlets have been publishing will serve them in the coming years, especially lies and falsehoods meant to portray Israelis as at critical moments when enemies of the peace monsters, and have praised terrorist acts and plan try their best to drown it in blood. showed jubilation over the deaths of Israelis in gruesome attacks. To formulate a guide for journalists, we don’t need the masters of vagueness. The is- At the same time, the Israeli media cannot sues are clear. They can be compressed into a absolve itself of all blame. Many Israeli jour- few simple rules. Let’s try a modest suggestion:

34 | International Press Institute Flags and Barriers 3 45 | International Press Institute Flags and Barriers activityactivity / /action action aggression aggression apartheid apartheid apartheid apartheid wall wall buffer buffer zone zone caught caught in in the the crossfire crossfire closure closure development development disputed disputed areas areas (the) (the) enemy enemy (the) (the) entity entity eternal eternal capital capital of of the the Palestinian Palestinian people people execution execution Friday Friday prayers prayers atat the the Temple Temple Mount Mount gang gang of of settlers settlers (the) (the) government government of of Tel Tel Aviv Aviv Green Green Line Line Haram Haram al-Ibrahimi al-Ibrahimi Haram Haram al-Sharif al-Sharif (the (the Hebrew Hebrew state state herd herd of of settlers settlers heroic heroic action action hero hero prisoners prisoners Hilltop Hilltop Youth Youth Historic Historic Palestine Palestine Holocaust Holocaust incitementincitement 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self-defence settlement settlement / /settler settler siege siege Sons Sons of of Israel Israel / / Sons Sons of of Zion Zion surgical surgical (action) (action) targeted targeted (strike) (strike) Temple Temple Mount Mount Territories Territories terrorism, terrorism, terrorist terrorist TombTomb of of the the Patriarchs Patriarchs united united capital capital of of Israel Israel / /united united capital capital of of the the Jewish Jewish people people wanted wanted (persons (persons / /individuals) individuals) Western Western wall wall / /Wailing Wailing Wall Wall Zionism Zionism Zionist Zionist entity entity activity activity / /action action aggression aggression apartheid apartheid apartheid apartheid wall wall bufferbuffer zone zone caught caught in in the the crossfire crossfire closure closure development development disputed disputed areas areas (the) (the) enemy enemy (the) (the) entity entity eternal eternal capital capital of of the the Palestinian Palestinian people 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