Word: fire
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...reality is that Western reporters have done little reporting from the front lines of this latest phase of the world's most reported conflict. Barred by Israel from entering Gaza even before the firing started, most foreign reporters can only get near the war zone by chasing down the occasional rocket sent by Hamas into Israel. Still, the press has once again found itself caught in a different kind of cross fire: the propaganda battle, across all media platforms, between Israel and Hamas (and the supporters of each) for international sympathy. And the reason Joe the Plumber is angry...
...Israeli government's media operations are the most sophisticated in the region, and its extensively planned hasbara campaign of public advocacy swung into high gear almost as soon as the current offensive began. Israel and its advocates are stressing a broad theme to frame the conflict - rocket fire from Gaza is an existential threat from which Israel has a right to defend itself, they argue - and they are seeking to limit reporting on civilian suffering in Gaza by challenging how much time or space media outlets devote to such images and by emphasizing the great care being taken by Israeli...
...Meanwhile, Israeli politicians and pundits are constantly on the air painting Hamas as an implacable, genocidal foe. Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Fox News, "For us to be asked to have a cease-fire with Hamas is like asking you to have a cease-fire with al-Qaeda" - despite the fact that Israel and Hamas had, in fact, agreed via Egypt to a six-month cease-fire just last June. And Israeli military spokeswoman Major Avital Leibovitch is constantly reassuring TV audiences worldwide that Israeli troops are going the extra mile to avoid collateral damage in Gaza. However, some Israeli...
...have been 55 acts of violence or aggression against Jewish individuals or installations in France since the Israeli offensive on Gaza began in late December, according to the Union of French Jewish Students. This week began with firebomb attacks on synagogues in the suburbs of Paris and Strasbourg. Similar fire-bombings or attempted arson have occurred in Sweden, Britain and Belgium. Three ethnic Arab students in Paris were attacked by seven alleged members of the Jewish Defense League. (The JDL denied any involvement.) French Interior Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie this week responded to the beatings by pleading that...
...budging from their initial demands: "We will accept nothing less than a ceasefire, the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, and the lifting of the [18-month long] Israeli siege on Gaza." It isn't clear yet how close the Egyptian proposal mirrored Hamas' demands for a cease-fire in the 19 day-old conflict. When the assault started, Palestinians accused Egypt of catering to Israel (Cairo had just played host to Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni). The Hamas source commented pessimistically, "We're 100% sure that Israel won't accept our demands...