Israel 'Renews' Media Ban, Journalists 'Renew' Calls to End It
Journalists are 'renewing calls' for Israel to open Gaza to foreign media, according to The New Arab. This comes after Israel has effectively blocked independent reporting from the besieged enclave since October 7th, 2023, forcing reliance on Israeli military sources and local Palestinian journalists for information. (A situation that mirrors past conflicts, raising questions about what 'renewing
calls' actually achieves.) Of course, this isn't a new strategy; Israel has tightly controlled access during previous offensives, including 2008-09, 2012, and 2014, often citing security concerns. (Perhaps the security concern is independent verification of their actions?) The silence from major Western news organizations during these blockades—until recently, it appears—is particularly notable.
One might wonder if the delayed outrage correlates with the scale of destruction, or perhaps, the difficulty in ignoring it when evidence leaks out anyway. The constant plea for 'access' often sidesteps criticism of the *purpose* of denied access: narrative control during mass demolitions. It’s hard to call something a 'renewal' if the policy never actually changed. How many times must one ask to
see the crime scene before questioning the sincerity of the gatekeepers?