Discussion of the political and logistical realities of reporting the Israeli/Palestinian conflict from a Palestinian perspective.
As extensively reported the land of Gaza on the Mediterranean coast is under siege. Here the residents have experienced three massive military assaults in the past ten years. The area is cut off physically, economically and politically by a massive wall and barbed-wire enclosure. It is almost impossible for individuals from the West to enter the territory and equally difficult, if not more so, for those inside to leave. Electric power is limited to 5 hours a day, drinking water from the tap is unusable.
Thousands of Gazans have died as a result of the conflict, tens of thousands have been injured, children’s mental scars are unfathomable. Although these men, women and children are physically isolated, their will to survive, to create, to learn, to live as full a life as possible, has not been suppressed.
The wave of recriminations of anti-semitism against Representative Ilhan Omar exemplifies the difficulties of looking critically at Israeli policy without being vilified. It is also reflective of reluctance by many media outlet to open their doors to positive stories from inside the territory.
The proposed discussion is not intended to call into question current coverage, but to open the conversation for creating avenues of communications and dialogue. To discuss and examine the tools and strategies for creating an equilibrium in both mainstream and alternative coverage of the conflict
Suggested Speaker(s)
- Maurice Jacobsen
Producer/Director, Inshallah Media Project - Rami Eisa
Producer/Production Manager The Media Group, The Media Group, Gaza City