Big Media Kvetches About Israeli Press Freedom, Ignores Hamas Restrictions

Honest Reporting/Backspin
18 July '10

Two Palestinian press photographers covering weekend West Bank clashes were wounded by the IDF. According to the Jerusalem Post:

The photographers were said to be among the protesters, making it difficult to pick them out.

Here's what's known about the incident: One of the photographers worked for AFP. And the Foreign Press Association issued a statement suggesting that Israel's Border Police are getting too rough, then sniffed:

We would appreciate it were the authorities to remind the various forces involved, that open, unhindered coverage of news events is a widely acknowledged part of the essence of democracy.

Everyone knows how these protests work. Scripted clashes and grandstanding for the cameras have been the modus operendi for years.

It's always the same: Palestinians start protesting, at first peacefully. Gradually, the situation escalates till soldiers are forced to fire rubber bullets and tear gas to protect themselves and disperse the crowd. The violent images are the ones you always see in the news.

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