Killing the Messenger 

Exactly one year ago, on January 1st, 2002, the Government Press Office launched a series of aggressive steps whose result – and probable aim – was a serious disruption of news coverage in the West Bank and Gaza. This is our simple response to the self-righteous article “How have we sinned against the foreign media?” by GPO Director Daniel Seaman (Yediot Aharonot, 30.12.2002). 

Wherever the international media is found, it employs locals and foreigners, in accordance with its needs, and usually with minimal interference from authorities that respect the freedom of the press. And so it has been here. The foreign media employs many Israelis in various professions as well as foreigners from all over the world, and many Palestinians in the territories. The highest standard of fair and balanced reporting applies to all – and mostly, despite the tremendous complexities of the situation, they are attained. 

When Mr. Seaman cancelled the press accreditations of Palestinians working for the foreign media – reporters, photographers and television crews – his bizarre explanation was that Israeli accreditation was not needed because the territories are akin to a foreign country. Since then the IDF has taken over most West Bank towns, its soldiers are everywhere, and they continue in all seriousness to demand of the Palestinians the same GPO cards that are no longer being issued.  When the cards are not produced the result is almost always intereference and on occasion beatings, arrests, and confiscation of equipment and materials. About 10 months ago, following negotiations with Mr. Seaman and Minister Zippi Livni, agreement was reached to issue “territories-only” GPO cards immediately to a limited number of essential employees. Since then Mr. Seaman has shamefully reneged on his explicit written promise to this effect, and nothing has moved. He has, in the meantime, revised his explanations and now accuses the foreign media’s Palestinian staffers, en masse, of being dangerous agents of the Palestinian Authority.

In addition, the GPO decided to change the system regarding foreign television crews and to obligate these few dozen people to obtain work permits from the Labor Ministry. The applications have been submitted, yet in the year that has passed not a single one has been approved – because the Labor Department requires of the applicants GPO recommendations which the GPO refuses to provide. Meanwhile, the TV crews are in a vulnerable legal limbo.

The foreign television crews are absolutely essential for work in the territories and often also in neighboring Arab lands, and the attempt to invalidate their status raises concerns. Strangely, the GPO presents the issue as stemming from concerns for the livelihood of Israeli crews.  But any reasonable person would hesitate to send Israeli crews to work in the West Bank and Gazan towns in the present time of strife – and the IDF itself often prevents this out of concern for Israelis’ lives. The Palestinians, as made clear, are not allowed to work. “Who, then, is left?” we asked Mr. Seaman, in despair. “It really is a problem,” he replied, amused. 

It is hardly amusing when the representatives of the foreign media and their head offices are convinced that Israel is crudely and transparently attempting to hinder news coverage.  Perhaps one of our colleagues suggested to Mr. Seaman that his tactics are doing Israel’s image no good; that must be the origin of his false accusations that the foreign media has threatened to “condemn and slander” Israel. In his article, he incites against an entire community by attacking imagined foreign journalists who justify terrorism and oppress the State of Israel.

There are many conflict zones around the globe, and balanced reporting often satisfies neither side. It can be popular to agitate against the foreign press. A responsible government doesn’t operate this way. Israel didn’t do it in the past.