The "language of force" has overtaken the media's supposed language of truth and propaganda has replaced professional journalism in the mainstream coverage of events. Professional standards, rule of laws governing journalism, the civil right "to know," media outlets and journalists themselves have fallen victim to the rule of force. No wonder, when media becomes the major battle ground as well as the main tool of the infighting where none is sacred anymore, even the Muslim Friday prayers.
The still escalating war of words comprises mutual accusations of "collaboration" with or "serving" the Israeli occupying power, staging "coup d'etat," "fascism," "treachery and treason" killings, "assassination in cold blood," committing "organized crimes" and "war crimes" by "mercenaries" and "outlaws," mutual calls for "national" trials, etc. Readers may check out statements by the chief of the PA intelligence Tawfiq al-Tirawi and the speaker of the Hamas parliamentary group Saeed Siyam on September 17 for samples of the language used in this inter-Palestinian media war.
It is a killer language. The mutual smearing of images is almost tantamount to a political assassination of the foes that could justify later their physical liquidation. What can the Israeli "enemy" say more about both of them? Now Israel could quote both sides to justify her extra-judicial liquidation of their leaders and anti-occupation activists.
Both sides of the internal conflict are using religion to serve their war of words. In order to politically outmaneuver Hamas, which dominates the mosques, the secular Fatah and her "leftist" and liberal PLO coalition partners ironically called for Friday prayers in public spaces, creating a religious controversy over whether this conforms to Islamic law or not, with their secular spokesmen turning into experts in religious law and quoting religious text to support their politically-motivated call.
The high tension led for example a veteran media expert like Yasser Abed Rabbo, Secretary General of the PLO Executive Committee who was once responsible for PLO's media and former cabinet minister of information and culture, to loose temper with a BBC interviewer, Mahmoud Murad, last month when he asked whom exactly the PA consider as their enemy, Israel or Hamas. Abed Rabbo hit back live on the air with, "you are impolite, rude ..." Murad threatened to sue.
When Confucius was asked: "What is the first thing you would do if elected as the country's leader?" he answered: "To correct the use of language, of course. We have to use words right. If not, speech will not be in order, and if speech is not in order, then nothing can be accomplished. If nothing is accomplished, morals and art decline. If morals and art decline, justice has no direction. If justice has no direction, people will stay confused and helpless. So you have to be very careful what you say." (Quoted by Sirikit Syah in the Brunei Times on Sept. 10, 2007)
Two codes of honor to protect the Palestinian freedom of press have become indispensable to neutralize the besieged media in the raging war of words, one between the rival governments in Gaza and Ramallah, led by Hamas and Fatah respectively, and another code among journalists themselves to adopt professional standards in their coverage irrespective of political affiliation and sympathies.
Intervention by international and local human rights organizations is also indispensable to bring both the authorities and the media community to respect impartial, neutral and independent reporting because the heat of the conflict in the OPT is unlikely to convince either side of the crisis to voluntarily abstain from harassing both the few remaining independent media outlets and the media channels of the rival political foe.
'Official' War of Words
Media has become the most important vehicle for the PA in confronting Hamas, PA Information Minister Riyad al-Malki told a group of Israeli and Palestinian journalists in Ramallah on August 14 that "80 percent of the battle is focused on media information." Ironically al-Malki suggested that Israelis could think of ways to help the PA Information Ministry achieve its goals. "At the end of the day, this government wants to reach peace with Israel," he said.
Prior to the meeting with al-Malki, Basem Abu Sumaya, chairman of the PBC, which was bombed by the Israelis in 2002, led the journalists in a tour of his premises. During the meeting nothing was said about an Israeli ban on deliveries of paper to Gaza, where print press could hardly manage with the shortage of paper, power and fuel due to Israel's tight siege. Moreover and even days before Hamas' control of Gaza, Israel prevented the three West Bank dailies from entering Gaza until June 29.
The inter-Palestinian war of words has given the Israeli occupying power a propaganda prize to push into oblivion her own fatal violations of Palestinian press freedom. For example, who remembers now the shooting twice by the Israeli soldiers of Palestinian news cameraman, Imad Ghanem, 21, on 5 July, which a Reuters video showed bullets hitting his body as he lay injured on the ground, a crime that was condemned by The International Federation of Journalists as "a vicious and brutal example of deliberate targeting of a journalist"?! Ghanem was one of the leaders of the demonstrations to demand the release of the British journalist Alan Johnston during his kidnap ordeal in Gaza months ago.
Or, seven years on, who remembers now the Palestinian media breakthrough of the 27-minute video film which was aired on TV screens all over the world showing live the Palestinian child Mohammad al-Durrah as he was shot dead by the IOF soldiers while trying to seek the protection of his father's embrace?
A BBC Ad. recruiting a "Project Director, Palestinian Territories" to advise Palestinian journalists sounded timely enough: "The Project Director will be responsible for managing and coordinating delivery of the Trust's EIDHR-Dutch co-funded project in Palestine titled: 'Support for the Palestinian Media Sector with Focus on Building Sustainable Mechanisms for Professional Development of Journalists and Media Professionals'. The project aims to increase the level of networking and dialogue between media professionals in the West Bank and Gaza Strip."
Outside Israeli, U.S. and European intervention has created and sustaining the current inter-Palestinian political crisis, leading to the raging war of words. Should outside intervention and anti-Hamas incitement stop the crisis would relieve the pressure on media to allow for national reconciliation, which in turn would give space for the war of words to subside, leaving behind bitter national memories.
The still escalating war of words comprises mutual accusations of "collaboration" with or "serving" the Israeli occupying power, staging "coup d'etat," "fascism," "treachery and treason" killings, "assassination in cold blood," committing "organized crimes" and "war crimes" by "mercenaries" and "outlaws," mutual calls for "national" trials, etc. Readers may check out statements by the chief of the PA intelligence Tawfiq al-Tirawi and the speaker of the Hamas parliamentary group Saeed Siyam on September 17 for samples of the language used in this inter-Palestinian media war.
It is a killer language. The mutual smearing of images is almost tantamount to a political assassination of the foes that could justify later their physical liquidation. What can the Israeli "enemy" say more about both of them? Now Israel could quote both sides to justify her extra-judicial liquidation of their leaders and anti-occupation activists.
Both sides of the internal conflict are using religion to serve their war of words. In order to politically outmaneuver Hamas, which dominates the mosques, the secular Fatah and her "leftist" and liberal PLO coalition partners ironically called for Friday prayers in public spaces, creating a religious controversy over whether this conforms to Islamic law or not, with their secular spokesmen turning into experts in religious law and quoting religious text to support their politically-motivated call.
The high tension led for example a veteran media expert like Yasser Abed Rabbo, Secretary General of the PLO Executive Committee who was once responsible for PLO's media and former cabinet minister of information and culture, to loose temper with a BBC interviewer, Mahmoud Murad, last month when he asked whom exactly the PA consider as their enemy, Israel or Hamas. Abed Rabbo hit back live on the air with, "you are impolite, rude ..." Murad threatened to sue.
When Confucius was asked: "What is the first thing you would do if elected as the country's leader?" he answered: "To correct the use of language, of course. We have to use words right. If not, speech will not be in order, and if speech is not in order, then nothing can be accomplished. If nothing is accomplished, morals and art decline. If morals and art decline, justice has no direction. If justice has no direction, people will stay confused and helpless. So you have to be very careful what you say." (Quoted by Sirikit Syah in the Brunei Times on Sept. 10, 2007)
Two codes of honor to protect the Palestinian freedom of press have become indispensable to neutralize the besieged media in the raging war of words, one between the rival governments in Gaza and Ramallah, led by Hamas and Fatah respectively, and another code among journalists themselves to adopt professional standards in their coverage irrespective of political affiliation and sympathies.
Intervention by international and local human rights organizations is also indispensable to bring both the authorities and the media community to respect impartial, neutral and independent reporting because the heat of the conflict in the OPT is unlikely to convince either side of the crisis to voluntarily abstain from harassing both the few remaining independent media outlets and the media channels of the rival political foe.
'Official' War of Words
Media has become the most important vehicle for the PA in confronting Hamas, PA Information Minister Riyad al-Malki told a group of Israeli and Palestinian journalists in Ramallah on August 14 that "80 percent of the battle is focused on media information." Ironically al-Malki suggested that Israelis could think of ways to help the PA Information Ministry achieve its goals. "At the end of the day, this government wants to reach peace with Israel," he said.
Prior to the meeting with al-Malki, Basem Abu Sumaya, chairman of the PBC, which was bombed by the Israelis in 2002, led the journalists in a tour of his premises. During the meeting nothing was said about an Israeli ban on deliveries of paper to Gaza, where print press could hardly manage with the shortage of paper, power and fuel due to Israel's tight siege. Moreover and even days before Hamas' control of Gaza, Israel prevented the three West Bank dailies from entering Gaza until June 29.
The inter-Palestinian war of words has given the Israeli occupying power a propaganda prize to push into oblivion her own fatal violations of Palestinian press freedom. For example, who remembers now the shooting twice by the Israeli soldiers of Palestinian news cameraman, Imad Ghanem, 21, on 5 July, which a Reuters video showed bullets hitting his body as he lay injured on the ground, a crime that was condemned by The International Federation of Journalists as "a vicious and brutal example of deliberate targeting of a journalist"?! Ghanem was one of the leaders of the demonstrations to demand the release of the British journalist Alan Johnston during his kidnap ordeal in Gaza months ago.
Or, seven years on, who remembers now the Palestinian media breakthrough of the 27-minute video film which was aired on TV screens all over the world showing live the Palestinian child Mohammad al-Durrah as he was shot dead by the IOF soldiers while trying to seek the protection of his father's embrace?
A BBC Ad. recruiting a "Project Director, Palestinian Territories" to advise Palestinian journalists sounded timely enough: "The Project Director will be responsible for managing and coordinating delivery of the Trust's EIDHR-Dutch co-funded project in Palestine titled: 'Support for the Palestinian Media Sector with Focus on Building Sustainable Mechanisms for Professional Development of Journalists and Media Professionals'. The project aims to increase the level of networking and dialogue between media professionals in the West Bank and Gaza Strip."
Outside Israeli, U.S. and European intervention has created and sustaining the current inter-Palestinian political crisis, leading to the raging war of words. Should outside intervention and anti-Hamas incitement stop the crisis would relieve the pressure on media to allow for national reconciliation, which in turn would give space for the war of words to subside, leaving behind bitter national memories.
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