Israel at War

As Daniel Pipes pointed out, the current escalation between Israel and Hamas is being waged primarily in the media. Hamas know that they have no chance of winning the battle on the battlefield, their only tactic is to hope that Israel gets enough bad press to turn world opinion further against the Jewish state.

This is why it is essential that all supporters of Israel keep an eye on the local media, and send letters to the editor or comments to correct any mistakes or propaganda designed to make Israel look bad.

The New Zealand Herald just ran a story about Journalists injured in an Israeli attack. Below is my response. I'll let you know if it is published or I receive feedback from the New Zealand Herald.

Sir,

Your article Journalists injured in Israeli attack failed to mentioned key details that are needed to put the story in context. The Israeli army is proud of its record of minimizing civilian death and injuries, even in cases when terror groups like Hamas deliberately put their own civilians in harm's way by positioning military infrastructure adjacent to civilian facilities.

The "Media Centre" described in the article is an excellent example of the Israeli Defense Force’s use of precision bombing to minimalize casualties. The “Media Centre” was located in buildings that also housed Hamas' operational communications network. Because there were civilians present in the building, instead of destroying the buildings, the IDF destroyed only the military equipment and antenna on the top floor and roof of the buildings, resulting in zero casualties.

Placing military infrastructural in heavily populated civilian areas is a war crime, but a known tactic of Hamas who deliberately place civilians in harm's way hoping that if civilians are hurt, even with moderate injuries, the media will blame Israel. Articles like the one you published without proper context are wonderful propaganda tools for Hamas and encourage them to place further civilians at risk.