An article in today’s New York Times whines interminably about Israel’s ban on foreign journalists entering Gaza. But why should the Jewish state fight two enemies at once — Hamas and The Times?
Israel is engaged in a war with cold-blooded killers. In such circumstances, who decided that journalists have a right to run around a war zone and interfere with combat operations?
If a reporter for The Times is accidentally killed in an Israeli air strike or ground offensive, imagine the field day the paper would have with that.
Daniel Seaman, Director of Israel’s Government Press Office — who’s quoted in The Times story — notes, “Any journalist who enters Gaza becomes a fig leaf and front for the Hamas terror organization, and I see no reason why we should help that.”
In its news coverage, editorials and opinion columns, The New York Times has consistently undermined the efforts of both the United States and Israel in the war on terrorism. In the U.S., it treats reasonable security measures (like monitoring cell-phone conversations and texting) as steps toward totalitarianism.
The Times has been a harsh critic of almost every move the Israelis have made to protect their people from rocket attacks and suicide bombers. It even opposed the construction of a security fence between pre-1967 Israel and the West Bank. While it regularly reminds readers of the fate of Arabs who left Israel during the 1948 war, it never mentions the 800,000 Jews driven from Arab lands between 1948 and 1967.
As we explained in a December 15 posting on this site, The Times has decided not to refer to Hamas as a terrorist group (even though it manifestly engages in acts of terrorism) because it was “elected to govern Gaza” and provides social services to Gazans — as well as providing rockets to Israel’s towns and cities.
Between Hamas and The New York Times, it’s hard to say which is more of a threat to Israel’s survival.
@nytimes.com
