Israeli Court Urges Govt to Allow Handful of Reporters into Gaza to Cover War

Foreign Press Association Ordered to Provide "Narrow List" of Reporters for Consideration

by Jason Ditz, December 31, 2008

Updating yesterday’s story on the Israeli government’s ban on journalists in or even near the Gaza Strip, the Israeli Supreme Court has said that it is “inclined” to allow a handful of journalists into the warzone to provide coverage. It has asked the Foreign Press Association (FPA), who was petitioning for an end to the ban, to provide a “narrow list” of potential reports to be allowed into the strip. From that, the Israeli government is ordered to considered each journalist and provide the court with a final decision on whether or not to allow them to enter.

The FPA condemned the decision, saying the government has no right to determine which journalists are or are not allowed to cover the fighting in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli government has claimed that it is blocking foreign journalists from Gaza because their reporting is unfair and one-sided.

Since the war started, the Israeli government has engaged in a massive international public relations campaign to ensure that coverage of the killings in the strip is largely positive and geared toward supporting the continuation of the attacks. It has used YouTube and Twitter, and has reportedly established a team to manage bloggers.

On the YouTube front, the Israeli military has been posting video footage of its attacks. However it appears to have run afoul of the YouTube community standards, which bans videos featuring gratuitous violence and warns against any video in which someone is seriously hurt. YouTube initially removed some of the videos, which feature the killing of Palestinians. However, after complaints by the military and bloggers, YouTube chose to waive the requirement and restore the videos,

Last 5 posts by Jason Ditz