While media outlets and Gaza sympathizers continue to accuse Israel of targeting civilians, very few point out the Law of Armed Conflict, or the LOAC, which governs nations in war to differentiate between lawful conflict and unlawful conflict.
Recently journalists have streamed into the Gaza Strip, and their proximity to sites where Hamas is unlawfully launching missiles makes them military targets, and also makes any casualties the legal fault of Hamas, and not Israel.
Nour Samaha works for Al-Jazeera, and points out the uncomfortable fact that Hamas is launching rockets from near a hotel with journalists:
Rockets being fired from next to hotel housing journalists in #Gaza
— Nour Samaha (@Nour_Samaha) November 21, 2012
Incessant rocket firing and response next to hotel in #Gaza
— Nour Samaha (@Nour_Samaha) November 21, 2012
It’s a shame when we have to depend on Al-Jazeera for honest reporting:
Rockets from #Gaza being launched from next to hotel where journalists are staying
— AJELive (@AJELive) November 21, 2012
Of course, it’s easier to simply ignore the Law of Armed Conflict, and screech at Israel for following the law while ignoring the many ways that Hamas breaks it:
@IDFSpokesperson YOU ARE SHOOTING AT A HOTEL WITH JOURNALISTS, PLZ STOP NOW. @janeikelboom is in there and @rachidelmourif #gaza
— Dirk de Jager (@DirkdeJager73) November 21, 2012
Thanks Dirk!
#Gaza offices of al-Jazeera, AFP, and hotel with BBC staff damaged by Israeli strikes – no journalists reported hurt http://t.co/8fRi5I4F
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) November 21, 2012
Clinton said the U.S. "strongly condemns" the bus bombing in Tel Aviv, but did not touch on IDF targeting an ambulance,school & journalists.
— Mehmet Solmaz (@MhmtSlmz) November 21, 2012
Director for the “Palestine Center” in Washington, DC:
Journalists, regardless to who they work for, are non-combatants. Targeting them is a war crime. Period.
— Yousef Munayyer (@YousefMunayyer) November 19, 2012
Again, the media works on the ignorance of the common person in order to further their political agenda, instead of actually enlightening their audience with the truth.
UPDATE:
Here’s a perfect example of the anti-Israeli bias:
Factbox: #Gaza targets bombed by Israel http://t.co/jAHkjIKA
— Erin Cunningham (@erinmcunningham) November 21, 2012
The Reuters article lists all the places that Israel has “targeted”, listing among them:
No one bothers to make the point that just because something is destroyed doesn’t mean that was the thing targeted – the very fact that Hamas is launching rockets from near a journalist hotel doesn’t mean that any reporter hurt while Israel defends itself was necessarily “targeted.”