Shalom all,
Israel Update – Day 34 of the War.

As of this writing, the number of Israeli soldiers killed in action since the beginning of the ground offensive stands at 39. 

Outrage! I don’t know any other way to describe my feelings after seeing news reports that photographers affiliated with well-known foreign media sources were present, together with Hamas terrorists, at the massacre that took place on 7th October, 2023. Did the foreign media get advance notice of the planned slaughter? Questions asked by the “Honest Reporting” watchdog – which locates and reports on anti-Israel bias in foreign media – include the following: “What were they doing there so early on what would ordinarily have been a quiet Saturday morning? Was it coordinated with Hamas? Did the respectable wire services, which published their photos, approve of their presence inside enemy territory, together with the terrorist infiltrators? Did the photojournalists who freelance for other media, like CNN and The New York Times, notify these outlets?” <https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel-at-war/1699514898-ap-cnn-nyt-reuters-photographers-embedded-with-hamas-terrorists-on-oct-7> In addition to CNN and NYT, other media outlets that published photos of the invasion and the atrocities include AP and Reuters. According to “Honest Reporting”, the names of the photographers appeared in the photo credits. We can also ask whether these reporters received financial remuneration (i.e., monetary payment) from Hamas to be present and to publish the photos of the worst attack upon Jews since the Holocaust.

This poses a number of related issues: Their physical presence IN Israel, with Hamas terrorists, means that they crossed the border fence separating Israel from the Gaza enclave without receiving an entry visa – a crime in any country (crime number 1); their knowledge of a planned massacre and their encouragement of the terrorists by their presence and photo op, might implicate them as aiding and abetting in the commission of a crime, and they should be charged accordingly (crime number 2); to the extent that a murder is committed in the course of a felony (and here there were multiple felonies), those who participate in the felony can be found guilty of felony-murder, even if they themselves did not commit the murder (crime number 3). 

No matter how we look at it, at the very least, the photographers have to be viewed as accomplices to the massacre. This is more than just “doing their job” and “being at the right place at the right time” to get first-hand “scoops” of the atrocities. State Party Chairman and Minister Without Portfolio Benny Gantz, who joined an emergency government following the Oct. 7 massacre, put the matter in perspective and stated clearly: “Journalists found to have known about the massacre, and still chose to stand as idle bystanders while children were slaughtered – are no different than terrorists and should be treated as such.” <https://www.israelhayom.com/2023/11/09/did-hamas-alert-foreign-outlets-before-oct-7-horrors-israelis-outraged-after-media-watchdogs-report/>

The problem, of course, is one of jurisdiction. The crimes were committed in Israel by foreign photographers. It is doubtful that these same photographers would attempt to gain legitimate entry to Israel at this point, for fear of facing criminal prosecution. It is also reasonable to conclude that Israel will not seek the extradition of these photographers from their different countries of citizenship, so that they can stand trial in Israel.

This leaves us with the various news agencies themselves, who deny having had prior knowledge of the intended massacre and atrocities. Undoubtedly, they also paid the photographers for the photos and videos. How should Israel deal with them? Are they all to be given a “free pass” to report on, and photograph, events in Israel, FROM ISRAEL, when their excuse is: “We only report the news and information that we receive”? Or, “All the news that fits, we print!” After all, these “news agencies” exist to make a profit. Sensational news “sells”. When the audience is large, advertisers try to take advantage of the numbers and they pay the agencies to allow their goods and/or services to be part of the information that is broadcasted. Some news media ignored the findings of  “Honest Reporting” and chose not to report on them. This is due, possibly, to the fact that they don’t see any ethical problem with what the photographers and other news outlets did, or, even worse, because such a failure to comment speaks for itself about the anti-Israel bias inherent in most of the world’s media outlets.

On a different matter, today is the 85th anniversary of Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass) – an event that revealed “a raw evil unmasked and unashamed with no excuses presented and no justification advanced” <https://aish.com/48966511/?src=ac>. In its essence, it was a pogrom against the Jewish people by the paramilitary organization of  the Nazi Party, along with Hitler Youth and a multitude of German civilians throughout Nazi Germany on the night of 9th November (into the 10th of November), 1938. It is estimated that over 90 Jews were killed that night and Jewish homes, schools, synagogues and hospitals were smashed and that over 7,000 Jewish businesses were either destroyed or severely damaged. What should have been an eye-opener, revealing the “watershed event in the destruction of European Jewry” was reported by foreign journalists working in Germany, as it was happening. But, the event was passed over by the Western world which continued in its reverie until the evil appeared on their own doorsteps. Now, 85 years later, again we have to answer the question of whether we learned anything from history. Recent events, including anti-Israel demonstrations in many countries throughout the world, accompanied by rampant anti-Semitism, show that we are exhibiting the same hatred and rhetoric that were prevalent in Nazi Germany in the 1930’s. And the world turns a blind eye and a deaf ear to events unfolding in their own nations, just as the German authorities looked on as the events of Kristallnacht were unfolding … and did nothing. 

But, there are some who DO speak up. In receiving an Award of Courage from Los Angeles’ Holocaust Museum for his ongoing efforts confronting antisemitism, Arnold Schwarzenegger said, in part: “Education to fight antisemitism has been something I’ve cared about since I was a young man…There’s all this chatter out there and all this stuff and all this negativity and hatred that we have to speak up and confront them. The more we speak out about that issue, the better it is. So every day you have to talk about that, you have to talk about it over and over again.” He recalled that from his youth, he needed to fight against antisemitism and sees his opportunity as a Hollywood celebrity, to be “a public voice against antisemitism.” <https://aish.com/arnold-schwarzenegger-its-time-to-step-up/?src=ac>

The organization, Stop Antisemitism, reports on antisemites throughout the United States. It warns that if you tear notices about hostages, if you praise killers and terrorists on social media sites, or if you attack Jews, verbally or physically, there are consequences. The organization will publish their names to their employers and will inform them of the opinions and actions of the antisemites. The internet has a long memory and the names of the antisemites will pop up when they seek employment or go out on a date. And, as the organization points out, once these people are discovered, they look for excuses to justify their beliefs and actions. We see, sadly, that the same is not only true today, but it is increasing. Truly, the more things change … the more they remain the same.

Yesterday, I tried unsuccessfully to upload a short video of an IDF Paratroop Unit praying for the success of the war and blowing the shofar, before going out to fight. One of the recipients of these daily updates found the link for the video and forwarded it to me. I am now forwarding it to you: <https://youtu.be/Gb4tSvSMtX0?si=ME0yUKU3B2P3ua5W> You might want to continue with the video that follows, that shows how the murderous attach of Hamas began <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN6GUrPKvi4>. The one saying that all of the soldiers in the tank were taken captive is one of the photographers mentioned at the outset. The scenes of the attack are mostly from body cams of the terrorists.

Today’s update will close with this: 

Translation: Only in Israel can an 18 year old drive an 80 ton tank in a war, and still be defined as a young driver for the car insurance of mom’s Kia Piquanto.

A heartfelt “thanks” to all those who have written and encouraged and prayed: for the IDF, for the hostages, for the government, for the nation and for us. “When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, He makes even His enemies to be at peace with him.” (Proverbs 16:7). May this be true of the nation of Israel as well. The results will be mind-blowing.

Bless, be blessed and be a blessing.
Marvin