Embedded Gazan Journalists II: Jody Foster movie comes to mind

But once they crossed the fence….?

In a previous article (here), I critiqued a piece on the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) website in which they began by rejecting the claims of the first Honest Reporting exposé regarding possible prior knowledge on the part of Gazan journalists of the impending violation of the 2014 ceasefire between Israel and Hamas/Gaza and the ensuing pogrom on Israeli soil. In this article, I address journalist complicity in the pogrom itself.

A few days ago, I began writing the article you are now reading. This morning, I got confirmation for speculations that made me think of the Jody Foster movie, “The Accused.” Let us look, first, at what I wrote before the confirmation:

Even if the journalists did not have prior knowledge of the intention, not to demonstrate along the border fence, for example, as has happened so many times over the years, but to actually break through it into Israel, there is the issue of the slaughter, torture, rape, and abduction of Israelis once they were on the other side of the fence. While the only images I have seen in conventional media from that day showed tanks, burning buildings, and hostages — in other words, the atrocities committed in peoples’ homes, the rapes and the beheading and the burning alive were not included in mainstream media reports — does that mean that the embedded Gazan journalists were not there, in the homes?

We do not know.

We saw photographs of civilian Gazans streaming through kibbutz gates opened by the terrorists. The journalists were there when hostages were being carried off into Gaza. we know they were because they provided the news agencies with photos, one of which was named among  the list of “Images of the Year.” They photographed Gazans carrying away the dead and identifiable body of an IDF soldier (included in “Photos of the Year”) and of the naked and mutilated body of Shani Louk, whose crime was attending a music festival with her boyfriend.

Abu Mostafa’s border photos, one of which seems to show the lynching he had shared on Amra’s Instagram Live, were recently selected by Reuters and The New York Times to be included in their 2023 “Images of the Year.” pic.twitter.com/Z1GAvf7wMf

— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) January 8, 2024

The journalists provided these photos (and others that did not receive special recognition) for a global audience, some of whom gasped at the horror of it all and some of whom applauded the terrorists. Getting such strong emotional responses is what the media thrives on.

Suddenly, I thought of the 1988 movie, “The Accused,” in which gang-rape survivor Jody Foster sued the bystanders who egged on the perpetrators of her rape. I considered whether of nor the level of violence exhibited in the images of that day constitutes a form of obscenity.

At this point, I put the article aside, wondering if I was making any sense at all.

Confirmation

Then, this morning, I read the newly published Honest Reporting continuation of their investigation into the photojournalists who had breached the fence along with Hamas. And that cinched it. The central thrust of their article was to point out the personal connections of particular journalists with Hamas leadership but within that article I found support for comparing the journalists with the crowd that egged on the gang rapers in the Jody Foster movie.

In the following two “X” posts, we see excited Gazan journalists sharing their experiences, calling the events “global-scale scenes,” laughing, saying “all of Gaza” was there, and even inviting others to join them as the pogrom progesses. I suggest you watch the videos yourself.

Abu Mostafa, a freelancer who has been working for Reuters, says: “We were there two hours ago, since the beginning” & details what he saw at the border & in Sderot.

He describes the breaking into a room where Israelis were hiding before being taken by Hamas terrorists. pic.twitter.com/5kCAVIglFF

— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) January 8, 2024

Note that in the second post, Abu Mustafa talks about “young people” taking about 50 female settlers back into Gaza — “young people” and not Hamas terrorists or however he, himself, would refer to a Hamas terrorist (soldier? militant?).

Then he descibes a scene inside a home, making it clear he directly observed at least one scene of the atrocities. What else did he see? Probably a lot more, as he says that he will download more videos.

Mostly, we see his infectious way of describing “a one-time opportunity” that is not to be missed. And he gives instructions regarding the best place to cross the fence.

I rest my case.

Feature Image is a screenshot from the video in the Honest Reporting “X” post.