By: E&P Staff Three weeks into the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, The New York Times editorial page has barely mentioned the severe Israeli-enforced press restrictions that has hampered all media coverage from the war zone, including reporting on civilian casualties. The Time carried one brief mention in one editorial but no full editorial or repeated calls.
On the other hand, the Tel Aviv daily Haaretz has been hitting the issue hard, including in its own editorial on Sunday, which concluded:
"In the Gaza War, journalists are being held in modest media facilities on the border of the coastal territory. Their positions have been filled, reporters and photographers alike, by troops of the IDF Spokesman's Office. The move is meant to present a sterile picture of war, to prevent Israeli media outlets from showing images of death, destruction and horror coming out of Gaza. But this is a shortsighted approach, one driven by the 'ostrich policy' of planting our heads firmly in the sand.
"In the age of the information superhighway, Israel and the world still see the same images and hear the same voices broadcast on most of the foreign television stations. The IDF's manipulations of the media, which willingly cooperates, may be good for the army, but it's very bad for Israeli democracy."
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