French cameraman injured, journalists dispersed with stun grenades, tear gas in West Bank

Yahoo News ^ | 4/5/02 | IBRAHIM HAZBOUN

[JSteff]

We need more news from Ramallah, not an attack on the people trying to provide it.

Why? I trust the IDF being the military arm of a democracy in a state based on God's laws is not doing anything we have an urgent need to know. They will tell us when it is over.

Is it that you don't trust the IDF or are needlessly worried about what is happening to terrorists?

[DentsRun]

But a solitary print reporter...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I read the IDF declared the entire city of Ramallah closed to all reporters, and that includes both solitary print reporters and French television convoys.

In your prior posts you have mentioned the danger posed to reporters in a combat zone. Is it really the welfare of the reporters that concerns you? Or your feeling that they keep sending out images unfavorable to the IDF? If that's the case, why doesn't the IDF at least allow in Isaeli reporters? From what I can tell, the Israeli press does a great job. There's a wider range of opinion in the Israeli papers than in American ones.

[JSteff]

re#27 So? That is what they get the big bucks for. Anyway, who says they have any right to cover a military operation and even if they do what will that help?

If the Israelis are doing it under orders or for a reason then the press is not going to stop them. Israel being a democracy and a country founded on religious beliefs will address any actions found to be illegal or attrocities.

Let them do their job and have some faith in the good guys for once.

[American in Israel]

I do pound sand when I see how many people here are content to have all their news filtered through military censors and official spokesmen.

Perhaps they have noticed that there is a clear agenda against the Jews by the unofficial spokesmen of Leftist league and want NO spokesmen, but REPORTERS. I think that if the Media was not twisting themselves in absolute knots to try and spin everthing against the Jews, the Jews might be able to trust them to show what is happening. With headlines like 120 civilians take sanctuary from IDF troops in Church of Nativity when Terrorists shoot the door down and hold hostage the Christians inside?! It turns out that the 200 "civilians" all have one thing in common. They are all males of military age, carrying machine guns.

I don't mind free press, I prefer it. But the Presstitution has got to stop.

The complete corruption of the Media spouting Big Brothers mantra in the face of reality is VERY scary to me. Funny you can not see that.

[JSteff]

Jeez, get off it. So what. The American press has a not to stunning history of interfering in military operations and disclosing military secrets. Also it is not as though it will be fair reporting, we know where their sympathies lie.

We did not give Israel aide with the stipulation to coddle any press that wants to poke around where ever and whenever it wants. They are a soveriegn country and can set their own rules and terms.

[DentsRun]

DentsRun: We need more news from Ramallah, not an attack on the people trying to provide it.

JSteff: Why? I trust the IDF being the military arm of a democracy in a state based on God's laws is not doing anything we have an urgent need to know. They will tell us when it is over.

What they will tell us when it is over is only what which they want us to know. All accounts are biased in some way. The only way to find out what really happened is to hear different verions and then compare them all.

As for the IDF being the military arm of a state based on God's laws, it's never been clear to me that religious people tell fewer lies than anyone else. And if they are telling the truth they shouldn't object to other people telling their versions of the truth too.

Is it that you don't trust the IDF or are needlessly worried about what is happening to terrorists?

What is currently going on in the Middle-East may very well be the prelude to WWIII. I want to know as much as I can. When it comes to governments telling the truth, I am reminded of what Ronald Reagan once said, "Trust but verify."

[JSteff]

I do pound sand when I see how many people here are content to have all their news filtered through military censors and official spokesmen.

How silly. It is not like the truth would not come out later anyway. So for now why not just leave the IDF alone to accomplish it's mission without interference from the press corps...(and we know where their allegiance lies).

Let the military do their job without the headaches of the press under foot like some 6 year olds with mom at the grocery store.

[Egregious Philbin]

But you will back [the suicide bombings] anyway. A might bitter little hatred you got going there Philbin.

I do not expect explainations from you, I have learned that the only thing I ever get from you guys is accusations. But what else can I expect from you but accusations of the bretherin. It is a father thing.

You put words in my mouth. Hatred of whom? The only personal accusations made here have been from you. Who is this father?

[American in Israel]

In your prior posts you have mentioned the danger posed to reporters in a combat zone. Is it really the welfare of the reporters that concerns you?

Not at all, it is the danger to the IDF from these idiots. Same reason I disagree with women on the battle field. Good men will die trying to keep the women safe. Good men trying fight to break down the PLO are going to risk their lives trying to herd this bunch of camera toting Idiots.

Where were all these guys when Ramallah was sending daily car bombs? They never tried to get pictures of that. Having shown their bias, now they are putting out touchy feelie pieces looking for war crimes, any war crimes. "cracked water pipes in the streets" wahhh, LOOKIE an arrested Palestinian with handcuffs on WAAAAHHHHH! Reporters stopped from ramming their way through a military roadblock. WWWWWAAAAAHHHHHH! Give me a fricking break! You want cracked water pipe shots try a car bomb! Sometimes they blow the pipes right out of the walls. You want poor "oppressed" people how about shots of the thousands of Israeli's missing arms and legs from all these bombers! I wish the jerkwads would just arrest and handcuff Jews...

This whole conversation is a farce. You work so hard to justify your hatred of anything Jewish, but never whine more that three words in a row about blowing up children, or killed Americans, or the blood running in the streets of Israel. Do you realize that in full military mode, the Jews are killing less people than the PLO killed in the same amount of time DURING A CEASEFIRE!

These are hard statistics, you know, REPORTING. You can make up all the atrocities you want in your mind, in all the little corners you cannot look today. But the atrocities are as plain as your face in blown up school buses, coffee shops, hospitals, pizza parlors, discos, weddings and the such.

But that is ok, you would rather scream and moan about what might be happening to the ones who declared war on America, but Ignore what you can see happening to Americans and Jews.

It is called the enemy among us.

[dennisw]

 

This guy sure looks Arab and notice the credit to the photo of Nasser Nasser.
Israel is keeping out the Arab press in addition to others. Keeping out the Arab "reporters" and stringers for Reuters and AP.
Why make it easy for Al Jezeera to make it's anti Israel propaganda?
Same for the Euros. Screw 'em all!

A television cameraman jumps from the explosion of a stun grenade thrown by an Israeli soldier in front of Yasser Arafat's compound in the beseiged West Bank city of Ramallah, Friday, April 5, 2002. Journalists attempting to cover the scheduled meeting between Yasser Arafat and U.S. envoy Anthony Zinni were turned back by Israeli soldiers. Ramallah remains a closed military zone under 24-hour curfew. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

[dennisw]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I read the IDF declared the entire city of Ramallah closed to all reporters, and that includes both solitary print reporters and French television convoys.

Damn right Israel should keep them the heck out. All these bums make is anti Israel propaganda. Screw 'em. This is an info-war and Israel has every right to keep reporters out of Ramallah

[American in Israel]

The only way to find out what really happened is to hear different verions and then compare them all.

First, The only version you are hearing from the media is the leftist. Who is telling the Jewish side? Crescent News Network, Biased Bull Crap, Always Biased Crud, Never Be Correct? I would not mind so bad if they would bat 500 but at this rate they are batting 2. By accident! Perhaps I could trust them if THEY Verified! You know, REPORTED the news, not just quote the Palestinians. Heck a bomb goes off downtown Jerusalem and you get three Palestinian Interviews...

Second, you are not the most discerning person I have never met. Look a Forest and a Tree. DUH, WHAT FOREST?

it's never been clear to me that religious people tell fewer lies than anyone else.

Stop hanging out at the Mosque...

And if they are telling the truth they shouldn't object to other people telling their versions of the truth too.

You see, that is the whole problem with your conceptual perception. There is not versions of truth, there is only The truth and Many lies.

[Charles Martel]

Journalists have always asserted themselves into war zones. Could there be something the IDF is trying to hide?

They're only trying to hide their contempt for the media, but I don't think they're doing a very good job. Bravo, IDF.

[American in Israel]

The accuser of the Brethren is the Father of Lies, Satan.

[INSENSITIVE GUY]

Finally,someone who knows how to handle journalists!"Those who spin get spinned out".

[DentsRun]

The complete corruption of the Media spouting Big Brothers mantra in the face of reality is VERY scary to me. Funny you can not see that.

The notion that the American press is anti-Israel is not borne out by anything I know about. The ADL has been doing press surveys of the editorial content of major U.S. papers for several years now. The last one I saw quoted ADL head Abe Foxman as saying U.S. coverage was "overwhelmingly" pro-Israel.

Jude Wanniski recently ran a column calling attention to an MSNBC article that counted the number of prominent commentators and columnists "who can be counted upon to support Israel reflexively and without qualification." There were approximately 65, starting with Bill Safire, George Will, Norman Podhoretz, Bill Bennett, Michael Kelly, Mona Charon, Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, Cal Thomas, Thomas Sowell, Oliver North and going on to name virtually every major columnist or commentator around. The number who reflexively oppose Israel without qualifiation were five, including Pat Buchanon, Christopher Hitchens and Alexander Cockburn.

Even if American press coverage of Israel never got any better than it is today it would still be overwhelmingly positive.

[Egregious Philbin]

You can also add to the kneejerk Pro-Israeli list Martin Peretz, Gore buddy and owner of The New Republic, which kind of complicates the "liberal = Pro-Palestine" argument, and everyone's favorite lawyer, Alan Dershowitz.

[DentsRun]

This is an info-war . . .

You're certainly right about that.

. . . and Israel has every right to keep reporters out of Ramallah.

Well, it has the power to keep them out. I'm not sure it helps Israel in the long run though. And as I've said several times, the problems of the Middle-East could easily explode, involve the U.S. or lead to WWIII. Under the circumstances, I want to know as much as I can, and so do many other Americans.

[RogueIsland]

French cameraman injured, journalists dispersed with stun grenades, tear gas in West Bank

U.S. lauds "innovative" press control tactics, vows same. Helen Thomas "first target" predicts Cheney.

[DentsRun]

You see, that is the whole problem with your conceptual perception. There is not versions of truth, there is only The truth and Many lies.

You're right that I don't believe in "The truth." All of us are blind men, groping at an eleplant and saying, it's like a snake; no, it's like a wall. Since the U.S. always gets blamed for whatever happens in Israel I'd at least like to know what we're getting blamed for.