Shorouk Al-Asaad: Israel's continued targeting of journalists is due to the absence of real international accountability for its crimes

Suleiman Basharat: Targeting Palestinian and Lebanese journalists because they are a fundamental reference in conveying the true image to the world

Murad Al-Sabaa: Israel could not completely cover up the truth, and electronic media has begun to play a pivotal role in conveying the narrative

Nujoud Al-Qassem: Targeting journalists hinders documenting events from different angles, such as conveying human stories that affect the public.

Nabhan Khreisha: Israel is waging a massive media battle aimed at spreading misleading information and influencing Western public opinion

Majed Hadeeb: Israel seeks to prevent its true face from being revealed...and the Palestinian media message has not stopped despite the killing and destruction

Amidst the escalation of the Israeli occupation forces’ targeting of journalists, the latest of which was the assassination of Hezbollah spokesman Mohammed Afif, and before that the martyrdom of a number of journalists in the Gaza Strip, ongoing Israeli efforts are emerging to silence the truth that exposes the occupation’s crimes against the Palestinians and the Lebanese, in order to establish Israel’s official narrative.

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, journalists and writers, in separate interviews with “I”, confirm that the absence of international accountability, and the satisfaction of symbolic condemnations, fuels the continuation of Israeli violations and crimes against journalists, and that the international community bears responsibility for the continuation of these crimes, due to the continued silence and the absence of serious punitive measures against Israel.

They stress that the Israeli motives behind targeting journalists are constant, both before and after the ongoing war, in an attempt to intimidate them and suppress any voice that opposes the Israeli narrative, but the efforts of Palestinian and Lebanese journalists remain vital in exposing these violations, despite the enormous risks they face.

Israel's attempt to silence any other narrative that challenges its own

Shorouq Al-Asaad, a member of the General Secretariat of the Journalists Syndicate and a journalist at Monte Carlo International Radio, explains that the motives behind Israel’s targeting of journalists remain constant before and after the war, and are represented in its attempt to silence any other narrative that might challenge its official narrative.

Al-Asaad asserts that Israel's primary goal is to terrorize journalists, without distinguishing between their nationalities or identities, and that this targeting is a crime, from a humanitarian and journalistic perspective, and is a war crime that requires punishment.

She believes that Israel's continued targeting of journalists is due to the lack of real international accountability, noting that condemnations alone are not enough.

“Condemnations without actual punishment or legal accountability for those responsible for these crimes before international courts are not enough,” says Al-Asaad. “Israel continues its crimes because it knows that the international community is content with condemnations and does not take binding steps to hold it accountable, which gives it a green light to continue its violations.”

Al-Asaad explains that Israel is sending a message that the condemnations do not concern it, and that it will continue its actions without deterrence.

Al-Asaad points out that the international community bears a great responsibility for the continuation of these crimes, as it allows Israel to act without accountability, despite the world’s countries signing human rights conventions.

Al-Asaad stresses that merely condemning makes the international community a partner in the crime, because it did not impose sufficient sanctions or pressure to stop the Israeli violations.

Despite the escalation of Israeli attacks against journalists, Al-Asaad asserts that Israel has not succeeded in silencing the Palestinian narrative, praising the courage of journalists who report events from Gaza, the West Bank and other contact areas.

Al-Asaad points out that the journalistic work carried out by journalists in the field is heroic, because thanks to them the world has learned the truth about what is happening. Despite the deliberate targeting of journalists, which in many cases led to their physical and psychological harm, and the killing of some of them, Palestinian journalists continued to perform their duty to convey the Palestinian narrative to the world.

Al-Asaad stresses the need for the international community to take serious steps to stop the genocide against Palestinians, including journalists, and to assume its responsibilities by holding Israeli war criminals accountable.

She stresses that the world must abandon the policy of double standards and adhere to the values of international law and human rights that it claims to believe in, warning that failure to implement these values encourages Israel to continue its violations.

According to the Journalists Syndicate, 180 journalists have been martyred since October 7, 2023, including 179 journalists who were martyred in the Gaza Strip and one martyr in the West Bank, in addition to about 400 journalists who were wounded, 135 cases of arrest were recorded, and 88 institutions were targeted, including 73 institutions in Gaza that were completely demolished and the rest were closed in the West Bank.

The occupation uses the narrative to try to establish its presence

Writer and political analyst, journalist Suleiman Basharat, explains that the Israeli occupation, since the establishment of its state in Palestine, has relied essentially on narrative and storytelling as a basic tool to consolidate its existence and justify its practices.

Basharat asserts that the occupation is focusing on the fact that what is happening is not just a military and political conflict, but also a conflict over public awareness, and on trying to engineer peoples’ perceptions and establish the idea that the Israeli presence is not alien or colonial, but rather authentic and rooted. This strategy dates back to the period before 1948, specifically since the Balfour Declaration was announced in 1917, when the Zionist movement tried to evoke history, religion and culture to link its existence to this land.

According to Basharat, the Israeli project seeks to integrate the religious narrative with the historical and cultural narrative, reinforced by values and principles to form the civilizational basis of the occupation. This connection is not arbitrary; for every state or empire that seeks to assert its identity, there must be a narrative that makes it acceptable and understandable to societies. The Israelis strive, through these means, to present their entity as a rooted project and not an alien one, which explains the importance of creating a positive and organized image in the minds of the masses, whether through the media or educational institutions.

In this context, Basharat stresses that any threat that exposes the falsity of the Israeli narrative becomes a direct target, whether through international institutions that document the occupation’s violations or media outlets that reflect the reality of what is happening in the Palestinian territories or Lebanon.

Basharat points out that the Israeli occupation does not hesitate to cast doubt on the reports of these parties, accuse them of misleading or attempt to demonize them, and if these methods fail, it turns to besieging their activities with the aim of reducing their influence, and even targeting and killing journalists.

Basharat stresses that Palestinian and Lebanese journalists constitute a basic reference in conveying the true image to the world, hence, the Israeli occupation works to target them through killing, arrest, threats, or distorting their image.

Basharat stresses that the ultimate goal of the Israeli occupation is to silence voices opposing its narrative and prevent the publication of facts that undermine its project. In this way, the occupation creates an information vacuum that it fills with its narrative.

According to Basharat, the occupation also relies on the tactic of repeating lies until they are believed. By presenting half-truths, the minds of recipients are manipulated, as many fall into the trap of false information mixed with a part of the truth. Herein lies the secret of its success in building its narrative among the masses, as this narrative is linked to huge promotional mechanisms funded by media empires subject to global Zionist influence.

Basharat expresses his regret that some media outlets sometimes fall into the traps of Israeli propaganda, either because of the rush to transmit the news or because of the lack of alternative sources, and thus the Israeli narrative becomes the primary source of information, which enhances its spread without refutation or doubt.

Basharat points out that this raises important questions about Israel’s targeting of official spokesmen, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon or journalists in Gaza. The Israeli occupation does not want strong voices to appear that contradict its narrative, but rather always seeks to promote a single narrative that imposes itself on the world. By controlling the media, the occupation can control information and turn it into a tool that serves its interests.

Basharat believes that international support for the occupation’s practices, or at least the complete silence towards its crimes, is explained as part of international hegemony. The United States and Western colonial countries such as France, Britain and Germany control international institutions, and even when these institutions try to document the occupation’s violations, they remain unable to take effective measures because of their connection to the interests of the major powers.

Basharat points out that political hegemony is governed by strategic considerations, especially those related to the justifications of “self-defense” promoted by the occupation, or to allegations of “anti-Semitism” that prevent it from being held accountable.

Israeli focus on military and media power

Journalist Murad Al-Sabaa points out that Israel is focusing in this war on the Gaza Strip and Lebanon on two main forces: military and media power.

Al-Sabaa highlights how the Israeli media relies on addressing the interior only, as the Israeli public is isolated from any source of information other than the Hebrew media, which only conveys what the occupying state wants. Despite the failures of the Israeli army and the losses it suffers, the Hebrew media remains a means of planting the misleading official narrative in the minds of Israelis, even with the difficulties in concealing the numbers of dead and the security problems.

Al-Sabaa believes that Israel is aware of the danger of the global media and its influence on international public opinion. For this reason, it follows a strategy to prevent the publication of facts documenting its crimes in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. It fears the impact of this coverage on Western peoples, especially in Europe and the United States, where strong pressure campaigns may be formed on their governments.

Al-Sabaa asserts that Israel is wary of the media being able to expose its crimes that it wants to commit in secret, such as genocide and punitive practices against civilians, including the policy of starvation.

Regarding the assassination of Hezbollah's media spokesman, Al-Sabaa believes that his statements enjoy credibility among the people, based on the history of trust built by the former Secretary-General, the martyr Hassan Nasrallah, which is something Israel does not want in the context of obscuring the facts.

Al-Sabaa asserts that Israel targets journalists in Lebanon and Gaza under the pretext that they work with or support the resistance, and seeks to give journalists a military character to justify killing and targeting them.

This strategy, according to Al-Sabaa, comes within the framework of Israeli efforts to erase the narratives conveyed by the press, and present them as part of the war on terrorism.

Al-Sabaa reiterates that Israel does not care about international condemnations, and despite the continuous statements from international human rights and press institutions, it knows that its military and media power exceeds any possible pressure.

Al-Sabaa expresses his lack of confidence in the ability of the international community to take effective steps against Israel, explaining that Israel, with the support of its influential media, is able to pressure major countries and present itself as a victim.

But Al-Sabaa believes that the international community can take important measures, such as declaring Israel a state that does not respect freedom of the press and human rights, although these measures will not prevent the occupation from continuing its crimes.

On the other hand, Al-Sabaa points out that, despite everything Israel does, it has not been able to completely obscure the truth, as electronic media has come to play a pivotal role in conveying the narrative, as it makes it easier for the “citizen journalist” to take photos and videos and send them via applications such as WhatsApp and Telegram, which allows professional journalists to access, verify and publish these materials.

Al-Sabaa believes that electronic journalism, supported by artificial intelligence technologies, helps verify the credibility of media materials and ensure that they are not tampered with, which ensures the continued transmission of Israeli crimes.

The nature of the war affected the nature of the coverage.

Journalist Nujoud Al-Qassem believes that the real motives behind Israel’s targeting of journalists, and specifically the spokesman for Hezbollah in Lebanon, or journalists in the Gaza Strip, are the same ones that drive it to target civilians in Lebanon and Gaza.

Al-Qassem explains that these motives are no different from those behind the bombing of hospitals and medical staff, targeting civilians in their homes, launching raids on camps in the West Bank, and persecuting displaced persons in refugee camps.

Al-Qassem points out that Israel is targeting everything without international deterrence, taking advantage of the absence of any decisive global action, which encourages it to persist in its aggressive policies.

Al-Qassem points out that the world is not content to stand by and watch what is happening, but rather some international powers are providing direct support to Israel, which strengthens its insistence on continuing the war of extermination in Gaza and Lebanon.

Al-Qassem confirms that Israel's strategic goal in this fierce war is to destroy the infrastructure that supports the Palestinian and Lebanese resistance.

Al-Qassem says: “Israel wants to make civilians pay the price for their support of the resistance, and seeks to instill fear among them to dissuade them from supporting the resistance in the future. This is an old policy that it has followed since the establishment of the occupying state.”

She points out that the occupying state has always considered civilians as legitimate targets, but today Israeli violence has become more ferocious and brutal, as the Palestinian civilian is now viewed as a military threat, including the journalist who conveys the Palestinian story and contradicts the occupation’s narrative.

Al-Qassem points out that Israel is also seeking to send a clear message that it has the upper hand and that it can reach anyone and anywhere, whether in Gaza or Beirut.

Despite the repeated international condemnations of the occupation’s crimes, Al-Qassem believes that these condemnations are insufficient and lack seriousness. She says: “The condemnations cause some discomfort to Israel, but they quickly fade away. In fact, these statements are not worth the ink they are written with, and they seem as if they are ready to be distributed after every crime against Palestinian or Lebanese journalists.” Al-Qassem asserts that these condemnations have not stopped the occupation from targeting civilians, journalists, and media institutions, as part of the ongoing war of extermination.

Al-Qassem stresses that what is needed are practical steps such as prosecuting and holding Israeli war criminals accountable, and working to freeze Israel’s membership in the United Nations and international institutions, including the International Federation of Journalists.

“Without real measures and effective accountability, the occupation will continue to commit crimes against journalists, and may even go further,” Al-Qassem said.

On the other hand, Al-Qassem explains that the impact of this war on conveying the truth in Gaza and Lebanon is clear, as the deliberate targeting of journalists hinders the documentation of events and conveying them from different angles, such as conveying human stories that leave an impact on the public, despite the importance of the coverage that journalists do under very difficult circumstances.

Al-Qassem says: “Through these attacks, Israel wants to prevent the transmission of what is happening, because it realizes that documenting crimes constitutes an important tool for prosecuting war criminals before international courts.”

However, according to Al-Qassem, Palestinian journalists continue their work bravely, braving the dangers to document Israeli massacres.

“Brave journalists don’t give up, but their work in these circumstances becomes difficult, and the nature of the war affects their work and the nature of what they report, which limits their ability to highlight moving human stories that can shed light on the extent of the suffering more than breaking news,” Al-Qassem says.

Al-Qassem confirms that media coverage under bombardment lacks diversity, as it focuses mainly on breaking news.

“This situation makes journalists’ coverage similar in content, which reduces its impact on the audience and makes it less attractive,” Al-Qassim says.

Al-Qassem points out that the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza for years, and the targeting of media offices, has caused a delay in the arrival of accurate information, which negatively affects the documentation of events and their use as evidence against the occupation.

A broader plan to conceal the facts and cover up crimes

Journalist Nabhan Khreisha said that targeting journalists, whether in Gaza or Lebanon, the latest of which was the targeting of Hezbollah spokesman Mohammed Afif, represents a new episode in a long series of Israeli attacks against Palestinian and Arab media professionals and journalists, as part of Israel’s efforts to dominate international narratives and exclude the Palestinian and Arab narrative.

Khreisha points out that Israel has, for decades, targeted hundreds of journalists to keep its narrative influential and dominant in the international media scene, while deliberately concealing narratives that reveal the crimes and violations it commits against Palestinians and Arabs.

Khreisha explains that the recent Israeli aggression on Gaza witnessed the assassination of 180 Palestinian journalists and media professionals, in addition to the injury of hundreds since the beginning of the war on the Strip more than a year ago.

Khreisha asserts that this deliberate targeting of media crews comes within a broader plan to conceal the facts and cover up crimes, and is clearly evident in the criminal operations that targeted journalists who covered events in the Gaza Strip, as well as in the policies implemented by Israel against Arab and international journalists alike.

Khreisha points out that Israel does not care about the repeated international condemnations that denounce the targeting of journalists, but rather continues these practices because it realizes that the battle of narratives is no less important than military confrontations.

Khreisha asserts that Israel is striving to manage a massive media battle, investing hundreds of millions of dollars through a huge network of websites and social media accounts. This network aims to spread misleading information and influence Western public opinion through visual, audio and written media, and from here, in parallel, it targets journalists in an attempt to obscure the truth and show the false narrative.

However, Khreisha asserts that Israel lost the public relations battle, as videos and texts exposing its crimes in Gaza were widely circulated through these media outlets, sparking a wave of international condemnation and unprecedented solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Khreisha explains that Israel is working hard to conceal the facts, as is evident in its decision to ban Al Jazeera and other channels, in addition to imposing strict military censorship on foreign and even Israeli journalists, to prevent the publication of reports on Israeli army losses and mislead global and local public opinion.

Regarding the issue of international pressure to protect journalists, Khreisha calls on international journalists’ unions, especially the International Federation of Journalists, to play a more effective role in exposing Israeli practices.

Khreisha stresses the importance of launching international campaigns to raise awareness about these violations, and submitting documented complaints to the International Criminal Court with direct testimonies from media professionals and their institutions.

Khreisha explains that the international community, through its press unions, must provide the necessary means to protect Palestinian and Lebanese journalists, in addition to intensifying training and guidance programs related to the safety of journalistic work in conflict zones, to ensure greater protection for them in light of the complex circumstances they face.

The greatest responsibility lies with the International Federation of Journalists.

Writer and political analyst Majed Hadeeb asserts that Israel’s policy of targeting journalists in Palestine and Lebanon reflects its ongoing efforts, since its inception, to prevent its true face from being revealed to the world. It is not only afraid of being accused of war crimes as much as it is afraid of being compared to German Nazism, especially when demands for international documentation of its crimes escalate.

Israeli attacks against journalists, according to Hadeeb, are not new, but rather follow repeated targeting of anyone who reports or documents its violations, which was evident in the war on Lebanon in 2006 when Israel bombed the Al-Manar channel affiliated with Hezbollah, as well as the destruction of Al-Aqsa TV in 2014 during the aggression on Gaza.

"Israel's assassination of Hezbollah spokesman Mohammed Afif was not just an accident, but part of efforts to silence voices that reveal the truth on the fronts, whether in the military arena or the effects of the battle on Israeli society," Hadeeb says.

Military media, according to Hadeeb, has a central role in exposing facts and revealing Israeli losses, and for this very reason Tel Aviv seeks to bomb media institutions and kill journalists.

Hadeeb explains that journalists working in the resistance media boost the morale of the Palestinians and convey what is happening on the battlefields, which embarrasses Israel and increases pressure on its leadership, especially Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in light of the escalating popular discontent with him and his government.

According to Hadeeb, the resistance media has a great ability to strengthen the Palestinian internal front and create a state of national solidarity around the resistance. Therefore, Israel sees the Palestinian and Lebanese media as a direct threat to its military policies, and works to strike these media outlets to affect the morale of the Palestinians and attempt to weaken the unity of the ranks.

Hadeeb points out that despite Israel's ongoing attempts to eliminate the role of the Palestinian press, journalists in Gaza have continued to courageously convey the truth.

On the other hand, Hadeeb recalls what happened to the Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, a correspondent for Al Jazeera, who was killed in cold blood while covering events in Jenin, citing what this crime showed of Israel’s insistence on targeting journalists despite international condemnations, and even ignoring and disavowing the issue.

Hadib believes that international efforts to confront Israel's crimes against journalists are still below the required level, attributing this to the difference of opinions and the weakness of human rights positions in international institutions.

“Without forming a pressuring public opinion, the international community will remain unable to pressure Israel to stop targeting journalists,” Hadeeb says.

Hadeeb believes that the greatest responsibility lies with the International Federation of Journalists and the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, calling on them to mobilize efforts and communicate with all global unions to launch solidarity campaigns and sit-ins aimed at pressuring Israel.

On the other hand, Hadib explains that the Palestinian media message has not stopped despite the killing and destruction. The Palestinian journalist, who faces the daily dangers of killing, continues to perform his duty to convey the facts even while he is searching for safety for his family.

Hadeeb believes that the Palestinian journalist remains targeted by the occupation because he documents crimes and exposes violations, stressing the importance of achieving justice and protecting journalists in conflict zones. However, Hadeeb acknowledges the difficulty of this in light of the occupation’s intransigence and its disregard for international law decisions, which stipulate the protection of journalists and consider targeting them a war crime.