“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)
In an August 11 statement, the Foreign Press Association (FPA) condemned Hamas for holding international journalists under threat and for censoring stories about Hamas war crimes and terror activities in Gaza during Israel’s Operation Protective Edge in July 2014.
The FPA berated Hamas for forcing journalists to underplay or ignore the terror group’s activities in the Gaza Strip. It claimed forceful threats were used against its journalists, the first such claims by an official organization. (Ynet)
“The FPA protests in the strongest terms the blatant, incessant, forceful and unorthodox methods employed by the Hamas authorities and their representatives against visiting international journalists in Gaza over the past month,” the organization stated.
Some journalists, including a France 24 group, released damning evidence about Hamas’ war crimes, but only upon their exit from Gaza. The FPA now reports that several reporters were “harassed, threatened or questioned” about stories released through their news outlets. (Times of Israel)
Hamas has “put in place a ‘vetting’ procedure that would, in effect, allow for the blacklisting of specific journalists. Such a procedure is vehemently opposed by the FPA,” the FPA statement adds.
Meanwhile, abroad, several hundred protesters gathered August 8 in front of New York’s Time Warner Center where CNN is located to object the twisted, anti-Israel reports that have been issued by CNN’s Time Warner and other American media outlets, such as the New York Times.
“The media has ignored the Israeli side of the conflict. The world believes that Israel targets innocent people,” said Jeremy Dery, who helped organize the rally. (Times of Israel)
“I’m here to expose and confront the lies that biased media, like CNN, displays to the world regarding the war between Israel and the Gaza Strip,” Dery said, in a Times of Israel article by Cathryn Prince. “Their news anchors have reported deceitful stories that favor the Palestinian side, while ignoring, the Israeli point of view during this whole operation.”
“We are not asking them [international media] to wake up and sing [the Israeli national anthem] ‘Hatikvah’ tomorrow. We are just asking them to be great journalists,” said Joe Hyams from Honest Reporting.
“Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies—make your way straight before me. Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with malice. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongues they tell lies.” (Psalm 5:8–9)
