Terrorists Masquerading As Journalists Crosses Line For Reporters

It wasn't the fact that Palestinian terrorists regularly dressed as civilians and used them as human shields that brought on the ire of journalists. It was the fact that the terrorists used a vehicle with journalist markings that did.

The Palestinian journalists' union criticised militants on Sunday for using a vehicle marked with a "TV" sign to approach Gaza's border with Israel and attack an Israeli military position across the frontier.

One militant was killed in Saturday's attack, jointly claimed by Islamic Jihad and al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed wing of President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah faction. The Israeli military said none of its soldiers was hurt.

"The use of vehicles that carry 'Press', 'TV' or other signs ... expose journalists' lives to danger, gives the Israeli occupation a pretext to target and kill journalists and restricts their ability to perform their professional and national duties," the Palestinian Journalist Syndicate said.

"We stress our rejection of the use of media vehicles and the involvement of the press in any existing conflict, and we demand all parties stop using these methods," said the group, the sole journalists' union in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

News photographs showed the white armoured vehicle, with "TV" in red letters on the front, at Kissufim crossing after the attack, bullet holes in its windshield.

You see, the journalists in Gaza have a very difficult time. In fact, it's perhaps even tougher than in Iraq. Palestinian terrorists and thugs in Gaza regularly kidnap and kill journalists (see the ongoing saga with Alan Johnston). They do so to raise money for their ongoing terrorist operations as well as to raise the profile of their operations, but when the terrorists start marking up their vehicles as though they were journalists, the Palestinian journalists first thought is that it might get journalists killed by Israelis. For the Palestinian journalists who already have the difficult job of reporting and pushing opinion touted as news, they're concerned that this latest attempt to capture Israeli soldiers for a prisoner swap may lead to the Israelis opening fire on legitimate journalists. Yes, ignore the jihadis who are precipitating the violence and instead focus on the Israeli response to such actions. Indeed, while the news report indicates who was behind the terrorist attack, the statement does not specifically call out the terrorist groups that were involved in the raid, which includes Islamic Jihad and Fatah's al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. On that point, they were silent and instead focused on what Israel's potential response could be against other journalists down the road. That ignores the ongoing bullseye on journalists by the terrorists operating in Gaza.

The terrorists regularly flout international law - masquerading as UN officials or using ambulances to ferry around their terrorists in their ongoing operations against Israel.

So, as Wizbang notes, while the British academics threaten boycotts against Israel, they remain silent over the ongoing flagrant violation of international law by the Palestinian Authority and the terrorists that comprise that wretched entity.

All this does is put Israel's ability to defend itself against attacks that use all manner of subterfuge at issue, which of course is the entire point of a raid that uses such methods. It's designed to make the Israelis hesitate for a split second, which could mean the difference between the Israelis eliminating the terrorists attempting such attacks, and the Israelis possibly losing a man to the jihadis.

Others blogging: Jules Crittenden, Tigerhawk, and Instapundit.