Israel’s war on the truth

Reporters Without Borders has warned that, “At the rate journalists are being killed in Gaza by the Israeli army, there will soon be no one left to keep you informed”. Gaza has become the deadliest place for journalists in the world. Over 270 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed by Israel since 7 October 2023.

This is unprecedented compared to previous conflicts. Research from Brown University shows that “the war in Gaza has, since October 7, 2023, killed more journalists than the U.S. Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War (including the conflicts in Cambodia and Laos), the wars in Yugoslavia in the 1990s and 2000s, and the post-9/11 war in Afghanistan, combined.” During the Iraq war, which lasted from 2003 to 2011, 228 journalists were killed; the genocide in Gaza has exceeded this number in less than two years.

The massacre of journalists by Israel isn’t just an unfortunate byproduct of war or a careless mistake. It is a deliberate policy and an extension of Israel’s genocide. Israel is silencing those who dare to reveal its atrocities. It does this with the assistance of its imperialist allies and establishment media, which provide military and diplomatic support while laundering the regime’s lies and misinformation.

Misinformation

Israel’s recent attack on Nasser Hospital demonstrates this cynical use of misinformation: after Netanyahu said the strike was a “tragic mishap”, the IDF stated that they were targeting a “Hamas camera” and that some of those killed were terrorists. In fact, the camera belonged to a Reuters journalist; five journalists working for outlets including Reuters and Associated Press were among those killed, along with four medics.

The smearing of journalists as terrorists after murdering them is a common tactic of the Israeli military. In July 2024, Al Jazeera correspondent Ismail Al Ghoul was killed by the IDF, who then produced a document claiming he had received a Hamas military ranking in 2007, when he was only 10 years old.

The IDF recently killed two camera operators for Hamas-run news station Al-Aqsa TV, and refused to give any reason why the two were considered military targets. According to the IDF, even working as a camera operator is enough to justify labelling somebody a terrorist and murdering them.

Ismail Al Ghoul was killed by the IDF, who then produced a document claiming he had received a Hamas military ranking in 2007, when he was only 10 years old / Image: fair use

Some, such as the National Union of Journalists in Britain, have pointed out that the Geneva Convention states, “Journalists in war zones must be treated as civilians and protected as such, provided they play no part in the hostilities.” But such niceties mean nothing when they threaten the murderous policies of the main imperialist powers and their allies. Then, international law is disposed of without any hesitation.

Israel systematically smears journalists, with the intention of cleaning up its own image, as the rest of the world watches its genocide in horror. Recently, multiple intelligence sources have divulged that the IDF has a special unit called the ‘Legitimisation Cell’. Its aim is to find information, however tenuous, linking journalists killed by Israel to Hamas to counter the bad press Israel gets for murdering the innocent.

Those same intelligence sources revealed that not only had the cell been used to falsely portray journalists as Hamas fighters, but that Israel’s political echelon often dictated what intelligence areas should be focused on, and that the information gathered was regularly passed to America through direct channels in order to prevent criticism and continue the flow of arms.

As well as hunting down journalists, Israel has prevented them from entering Gaza altogether. All foreign journalists have been banned from Gaza since 2023. To repress Palestinian outlets, the Israeli government has created a law allowing it to shut down media deemed a threat to the state, known as the ‘Al Jazeera Law’, which was used to shut down Al Jazeera in the West Bank. These measures are not for the security of journalists, who often report in war zones, or the public. They are for the security of Netanyahu, who wants to continue the conflict to stay in power and avoid corruption charges. For this, he needs to maintain public support, which is dwindling.

The government is also cracking down on Israel’s own media. It has imposed ‘economic sanctions’ on Haaretz, Israel’s longest-running newspaper, banning government bodies from communicating with, advertising in, or funding the outlet. This follows statements made by Haaretz’s publisher referring to Palestinian “freedom fighters” and Israel’s “apartheid regime”. Such internal repression is a reflection of the cracks within Israeli society itself: large sections of the population, including in the military, are growing wary of this endless conflict. The ongoing genocide and war on six fronts, continued by Netanyahu for his own personal interests at the expense of Israel’s stability, has divided Israel from top to bottom.

Like the killing of innocent Palestinians in general, this war on journalists didn’t come from nowhere. Israel has targeted journalists in Gaza before. In May 2023, the Committee to Protect Journalists reported that at least 20 journalists had been killed by Israeli military fire since 2001.

Western media

You might think that western media companies would have some sense of loyalty to those journalists killed by Israel. But they won’t even defend their own journalists! When Reuters reported on Israel’s slaughter of Anas Al-Sharif, a journalist whose photography in Gaza won Reuters a Pulitzer Prize, they used the title, “Israel kills Al Jazeera journalist it says was Hamas leader”, uncritically publishing Israel’s false claim. This led Reuters’ own journalists to accuse the agency of bias.

This isn’t an isolated incident. Recently, over 100 anonymous staff signed a letter criticising the BBC for not stating when claims made by Israel were baseless, not providing historical context from before 7 October, and not challenging Israeli government or military representatives in interviews. These would be basic principles for reporting on any state at war, but not this one.

Journalist Ana Monjardino left CNN International for this reason. She has explained how, even before 7 October 2023, Palestinian guests had to be vetted by the organisation’s ‘Jerusalem Bureau’. She also denounced the newsroom’s misreporting of the disproven story of Hamas beheading babies, and the made-up ‘Hamas roster’ that proved to merely be a calendar that was used to justify Israel’s bombardment of the Rantisi children’s hospital. Monjardino isn’t alone in criticising CNN and other news companies from the inside, or in concluding that their coverage of the war conflicts with journalistic integrity.

After the mass arrest of Palestine Action supporters in Britain, the event was depicted in the news as a violent mob fighting with the police, with headlines mentioning “violent clashes” and “intolerable abuse”. In fact, the protestors were sitting peacefully with placards and were carried off by police over the course of several hours. This twisting of the truth has been employed in service of the ruling class more and more as they lose control and the world is dragged down into crisis and war.

But this is a tool with diminishing returns. The more blatant lies are peddled in the media that clearly contradict the reality of events, the clearer it is that the so-called free press is in fact the mouthpiece of the billionaires who own or control it. Already, faith in mainstream media is being rapidly eroded across the world. Fewer and fewer people trust what they are told.

Imperialist support

Despite Israel’s best efforts, coverage of its genocidal crimes cannot be suppressed. Every day, there is new footage of the horrors committed by the Israeli regime, which is fuelling mass anger and resistance across the world.

Every day, there is new footage of the horrors committed by the Israeli regime / Image: Jaber Jehad Badwan, Wikimedia Commons

Western leaders have nonetheless done what they can to come to Israel’s aid. Trump, Starmer, Macron, Merz, et al; these war criminals have continued to send money and arms into Israel. Now they have started making empty gestures, such as threatening to recognise Palestine and sending a few crumbs of aid to Gaza, because of how unpopular the genocide they are fueling has made them back home.

These leaders make nauseating speeches about the importance of peace, international law, and freedom of speech, but still shower Netanyahu with cash and weapons. They attempt to clean Israel’s reputation as best they can, such as by inviting Netanyahu to the White House and President Herzog to 10 Downing Street.

For these leaders, domestic policy is not distinct from foreign policy. While Israel labels journalists as terrorists, non-violent protest groups such as Palestine Action in Britain have been labelled a terrorist organisation for throwing paint on planes.

Hundreds of people protesting in support of the group have been arrested. The British state has arrested and harassed pro-Palestine journalists, confiscating laptops and phones for “encouraging terrorism”. Free speech is also similarly under attack in Germany and the USA.

What the imperialists fear is not terrorism but the truth. They are the terrorists. They have made Israel’s genocide possible. Now, they are reaping the consequences.