Binyamin Rose
Mishpacha, May 17, 2022
“While I don’t want to see anyone’s life end like hers did, she was part of the media jihad machine against Israel. She was a real Jew-hater and Israel-hater. It came across in every word that she said about us.”
Every profession has its hazards. Journalism included.
As a reporter, I’ve been on-site in southern Israel when the shrill sound of sirens pierced the air, warning us that we had just a few precious seconds to scamper to the safety of an air-raid shelter. As an editor, my concern for the safety of my reporters always prompted me to insist that if they covered stories near flashpoints in Judea and Samaria, they coordinate their visit with security authorities and also consult with their spouses.
Shireen Abu Akleh, the 51-year-old Al-Jazeera journalist who was shot and killed last week while covering an IDF-Palestinian battle in Jenin, was fully aware of the risks she was taking and was no neophyte. She had covered similar battles at point-blank range for the past 20 years, clad in her trademark blue flak jacket, emblazoned with the word “Press” in bold white letters.
In typical kneejerk fashion, the anti-Israeli press immediately blamed the IDF for firing the fatal shot, without a shred of forensic evidence. Some propagandists labeled her death a “murder,” disregarding the fact that the IDF launched an immediate internal investigation that was hampered by the Palestinian Authority’s refusal to share its autopsy findings, or turn over the fatal bullet to Israeli authorities for their examination. The media frenzy then deified her as a martyr. They eulogized her as “iconic,” a “trailblazer,” and the “voice of the Palestinians.”
(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 911), to view, click here
