[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022ds-1col clearfix\u0022\u003E\n\n  \n\n  \n  \u003Cp\u003EDuring the most recent conflict between Israel and Hamas in July 2014, numerous reports alleged that Hamas restricted media coverage of its activities in Gaza, threatening reporters against covering terrorist activities and allowing only footage of wounded Gazans. The absence of photos of Hamas rockets did not go unnoticed by others in the media. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency\u2019s Uriel Heilman questioned \u003Cem\u003EThe New York Times\u003C\/em\u003E\u2019 lack of coverage, in particular. Heilman concluded that Western media largely ignored or made few references to reports of Hamas\u2019s usage of Gaza\u2019s al-Shifa Hospital as its base or Hamas\u2019s\u003Cem\u003E \u003C\/em\u003Eexecution of suspected collaborators.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EUriel Heilman, \u201cThe Images Missing from the Gaza War,\u201d JTA, July 31, 2014, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.jta.org\/2014\/07\/31\/news-opinion\/the-images-missing-from-the-gaza-war\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.jta.org\/2014\/07\/31\/news-opinion\/the-images-missing-from-the-gaza-war\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E He cited a tweet from freelance Italian journalist Gabriele Barbati that backed allegations of Hamas\u2019s threatening of journalists: \u003Cem\u003E\u201c\u003C\/em\u003EOut of #Gaza far from #Hamas retaliation: misfired rocket killed children yday in Shati. Witness: militants rushed and cleared debris (July 29).\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EUriel Heilman, \u201cThe Images Missing from the Gaza War,\u201d JTA, July 31, 2014, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.jta.org\/2014\/07\/31\/news-opinion\/the-images-missing-from-the-gaza-war\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.jta.org\/2014\/07\/31\/news-opinion\/the-images-missing-from-the-gaza-war\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUriel Heilman\u2019s piece earned a response from \u003Cem\u003EThe New York \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cem\u003ETimes\u003C\/em\u003E\u2019 vice president for corporate communications, Eileen Murphy, who defended her paper\u2019s omissions: \u201cOur photo editor went through all of our pictures recently and out of many hundreds, she found 2 very distant poor quality images that were captioned Hamas fighters by our photographer on the ground. \u0026nbsp;It is very difficult to identify Hamas because they don\u2019t have uniforms or any visible insignia; our photographer hasn\u2019t even seen anyone carrying a gun. I would add that we would not withhold photos of Hamas militants. \u0026nbsp;We eagerly pursue photographs from both sides of the conflict, but we are limited by what our photographers have access to.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EUriel Heilman, \u201cNYT on Why It Hasn\u2019t Shown Photos of Hamas Fighters: We Don\u2019t Have Any,\u201d JTA, July 31, 2014, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.jta.org\/2014\/07\/31\/news-opinion\/nyt-on-why-no-photos-of-hamas-fighters-we-dont-have-any-1\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.jta.org\/2014\/07\/31\/news-opinion\/nyt-on-why-no-photos-of-hamas-fighters-we-dont-have-any-1\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA July 31, 2014 \u003Cem\u003EJerusalem Post \u003C\/em\u003Epiece reported that Hamas had threatened international reporters to prevent reporting on the terror group\u2019s use of human shields and use of civilian sites from which to launch rockets.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003ELahav Harkov, \u201cJournalists Threatened by Hamas for Reporting Use of Human Shields,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EJerusalem Post\u003C\/em\u003E, July 31, 2014, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.jpost.com\/Operation-Protective-Edge\/Journalists-threatened-by-Hamas-for-reporting-use-of-human-shields-369619\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.jpost.com\/Operation-Protective-Edge\/Journalists-threatened-by-Hamas-for-reporting-use-of-human-shields-369619\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E According to the \u003Cem\u003EPost\u003C\/em\u003E, Hamas interrogated French journalist Radjaa Abu Dagga, threatening to throw him out of Gaza.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003ELahav Harkov, \u201cJournalists Threatened by Hamas for Reporting Use of Human Shields,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EJerusalem Post\u003C\/em\u003E, July 31, 2014, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.jpost.com\/Operation-Protective-Edge\/Journalists-threatened-by-Hamas-for-reporting-use-of-human-shields-369619\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.jpost.com\/Operation-Protective-Edge\/Journalists-threatened-by-Hamas-for-reporting-use-of-human-shields-369619\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E The French newspaper \u003Cem\u003ELiberation\u003C\/em\u003E printed a report on Abu Dagga\u2019s ordeal, but Abu Dagga requested its removal.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003ELahav Harkov, \u201cJournalists Threatened by Hamas for Reporting Use of Human Shields,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EJerusalem Post\u003C\/em\u003E, July 31, 2014, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.jpost.com\/Operation-Protective-Edge\/Journalists-threatened-by-Hamas-for-reporting-use-of-human-shields-369619\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.jpost.com\/Operation-Protective-Edge\/Journalists-threatened-by-Hamas-for-reporting-use-of-human-shields-369619\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E Hamas also told RT correspondent Harry Fear to leave Gaza after he tweeted that Hamas had fired rockets at Israel from nearby his hotel, and that the group was using human shields in Gaza\u2019s al-Wafa hospital.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003ELahav Harkov, \u201cJournalists Threatened by Hamas for Reporting Use of Human Shields,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EJerusalem Post\u003C\/em\u003E, July 31, 2014, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.jpost.com\/Operation-Protective-Edge\/Journalists-threatened-by-Hamas-for-reporting-use-of-human-shields-369619\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.jpost.com\/Operation-Protective-Edge\/Journalists-threatened-by-Hamas-for-reporting-use-of-human-shields-369619\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile examining a July 20 photo essay in \u003Cem\u003EThe New York Times\u003C\/em\u003E, the Weekly Standard\u2019s Noah Pollak discovered that of the seven images in the compilation, three were of distressed Gaza civilians, one was of smoke rising over Gaza, and three were of the Israel Defense Forces, including tanks and attack helicopters. \u201cThe message is simple and clear: the IDF is attacking Gaza and harming Palestinian civilians,\u201d Pollak wrote.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003ENoah Pollak, \u201cAll The News Hamas Sees Fit to Print,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EWeekly Standard\u003C\/em\u003E, July 20, 2014, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.weeklystandard.com\/blogs\/all-news-hamas-sees-fit-print_796823.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.weeklystandard.com\/blogs\/all-news-hamas-sees-fit-print_796823.html\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E He questioned whether the \u003Cem\u003ETimes\u003C\/em\u003E had become an anti-Semitic mouthpiece or if it had been intimidated by Hamas. \u201cThese journalists must be terrified\u2014and they also must know that the best way to ensure their safety is to never run afoul of the terrorists in whose hands their fates lie,\u201d wrote Pollak.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003ENoah Pollak, \u201cAll The News Hamas Sees Fit to Print,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EWeekly Standard\u003C\/em\u003E, July 20, 2014, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.weeklystandard.com\/blogs\/all-news-hamas-sees-fit-print_796823.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.weeklystandard.com\/blogs\/all-news-hamas-sees-fit-print_796823.html\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHamas issued media guidelines, which, according to a translation by the Middle East Media Research Institute, ordered Gazans to refer to all dead as \u201cinnocent civilians\u201d and to avoid posting pictures of terrorists online.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cHamas Interior Ministry to Social Media Activists: Always Call the Dead \u2018Innocent Civilians\u2019; Don\u2019t Post Photos of Rockets Being Fired From Civilian Population Centers,\u201d Middle East Media Research Institute, July 17, 2014, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.memri.org\/report\/en\/0\/0\/0\/0\/0\/0\/8076.htm\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.memri.org\/report\/en\/0\/0\/0\/0\/0\/0\/8076.htm\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E Among Hamas\u2019s guidelines, according to the translation, includes this directive: \u201cavoid publishing pictures of rockets fired into Israel from [Gaza] city centers. This [would] provide a pretext for attacking residential areas in the Gaza Strip. Do not publish or share photos or video clips showing rocket launching sites or the movement of resistance [forces] in Gaza.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cHamas Interior Ministry to Social Media Activists: Always Call the Dead \u2018Innocent Civilians\u2019; Don\u2019t Post Photos of Rockets Being Fired From Civilian Population Centers,\u201d Middle East Media Research Institute, July 17, 2014, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.memri.org\/report\/en\/0\/0\/0\/0\/0\/0\/8076.htm\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.memri.org\/report\/en\/0\/0\/0\/0\/0\/0\/8076.htm\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe media guidelines also included rules for Palestinian activists, including, \u0022Do not publish photos of military commanders. Do not mention their names in public, and do not praise their achievements in conversations with foreign friends!\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cHamas Interior Ministry to Social Media Activists: Always Call the Dead \u2018Innocent Civilians\u2019; Don\u2019t Post Photos of Rockets Being Fired From Civilian Population Centers,\u201d Middle East Media Research Institute, July 17, 2014, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.memri.org\/report\/en\/0\/0\/0\/0\/0\/0\/8076.htm\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.memri.org\/report\/en\/0\/0\/0\/0\/0\/0\/8076.htm\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENotwithstanding the lack of photographical evidence, Western pundits recognized Hamas\u2019s violent actions, while simultaneously chastising Israel for civilian casualties. Bob Schieffer called out Hamas during one episode of his \u201cFace The Nation\u201d television show: \u201cIn the Middle East, the Palestinian people find themselves in the grip of a terrorist group that has embarked on a strategy to get its own children killed in order to build sympathy for its cause, a strategy that might actually be working, at least in some quarters.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EJack Mirkinson, \u201cBob Schieffer Has Some Very...Strong Opinions About Gaza,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EHuffington Post\u003C\/em\u003E, July 29, 2014, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2014\/07\/29\/bob-schieffer-gaza_n_5630519.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2014\/07\/29\/bob-schieffer-gaza_n_5630519.html\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n","dialogOptions":{"minWidth":850,"resizable":true,"modal":true,"title":"Media intimidation"}},{"command":"doFootnotes"}]