Israeli media praise killing of Palestinian journalist Anas al-Sharif

Media freedom groups internationally express outrage at targeting of journalists in Gaza

Al Jazeera anchor and presenter Mohamed Krichen holds a portrait of Anas al-Sharif during a moment of silence to honour him and four other colleagues who were killed in an overnight Israeli strike in Gaza City, at the network's headquarters in Doha on 11 August (Karim Jaafar/AFP)

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"It's about time," wrote Daphna Liel, a senior journalist at Israel's Channel 12 News, on her Telegram page on Sunday night.

"The IDF killed the terrorist who operated under the guise of an Al Jazeera journalist," her report said, referring to the Israeli army.

The picture of Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif was attached.

The killing of Sharif on Sunday has provoked outrage from press freedom groups and other media outlets - but in Israel, the response by most of the media has seemingly been that Sharif, in fact, had it coming.

Ynet described Sharif as "the reporter-terrorist who was assassinated", Maariv newspaper said he was "a journalist in the service of Hamas", and Israel Hayom wrote that he was "a terrorist disguised as a journalist".

On Sunday night, the Israeli military announced that it had attacked a journalists' tent near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Sharif, who was one of the most prominent journalists covering Israel's assault on Gaza, was the target of the attack.

In addition to Sharif, six other Palestinians were killed in the attack, including Al Jazeera correspondent and Middle East Eye contributor Mohammed Qreiqeh as well as camera operators Mohammed Noufal, Ibrahim Zaher and Moamen Aliwa.

"The Israeli media's response to the killing of the journalists was frightening," Zahra Saeed, a Palestinian journalist at Radio Al-Shams, told MEW.

"Amit Segal [a senior journalist at Channel 12 News] wrote on his Telegram account that he was waiting for this assassination, it's unbelievable. He is part of the Israeli apparatus of incitement against journalists."

'Murder. Plain and simple'

The Israeli attack on Sunday was condemned around the world. Sara Qudah, regional director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, said: "Israel wiped out an entire news crew. It has made no claims that any of the other journalists were terrorists. That’s murder. Plain and simple."

The war in Gaza is the deadliest conflict for journalists since such data began to be collected. Since the beginning of the war, Israel has killed 270 journalists and media workers.

The Israeli army spokesperson claimed it had documents indicating that Sharif was active in Hamas, but did not produce the evidence.

'The Israeli media plays a central role in the genocide in Gaza, whether actively or silently'

- Hanin Majadli, Haaretz

Hanin Majadli, a Palestinian journalist who writes for Haaretz, told MEE that Israeli media were actively trying to misrepresent the current situation as normal.

"The Israeli media is an inseparable part of the Israeli apparatus, which also includes the government, the military, and the public, which commits crimes in Gaza," Majadli said.

"The Israeli media plays a central role in the genocide in Gaza, whether actively or silently."

Right-wing journalist Yinon Magal of Channel 14 criticised a demonstration by Palestinians in Umm al-Fahm, in northern Israel, "for the 'journalist'-terrorist, Anas al-Sharif".

Saeed said there was effectively no difference between the mainstream media and the far-right media regarding the coverage of the assassination of Sharif.

"Anyone who asks questions and casts doubts finds himself under attack and outside the national consensus. He is labelled a traitor," she told MEE.

"The Israeli crimes in Gaza are justified in the mainstream media, just as they are in the extreme right media outlets," Majadli said.

"There is no justification for the assassination of Anas al-Sharif. According to Israeli logic, Israeli journalists are also legitimate targets - while an Israeli journalist called for the killing of 100,000 Gazans and another blew up houses in Lebanon, they are considered professional journalists."

'Hunt down Arabs'

Journalists in Israel that condemned the attack faced criticism of their own. Majadli and Saeed said they received abuse while expressing their views on the assassination of Sharif.

Saeed said that a post on her Instagram account lamenting the killing of Sharif was translated into Hebrew and led to incitement.

According to Saeed, the purpose of translating the post was to "hunt down Arabs", adding that this is what happens "when a Palestinian journalist in Israel wants to express her opinion".

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"All of our journalistic work has been reduced to whether you are for or against terrorism. Asking questions beyond the borders of the IDF spokesperson is considered a crime," Saeed said, adding that "it is dangerous to be a journalist in Israel as well, not only in Gaza".

"In Israel, the equation is very simple - the Palestinians are terrorists," Majadli said. "A Palestinian journalist who speaks out against the killing of Anas al-Sharif is considered an encourager of terrorism, a sympathiser of terrorism, or an inciter to terrorism.

"There is no journalistic space in Israel. The vast majority of Palestinians in Israel can't even say about Anas al-Sharif 'may Allah have mercy on him'."

"The incitement against Palestinian journalists is open, it is the norm, it is urgent," Majadli said. "The incitement is here to stay for a long time. In Israel, the Palestinians need to know that they have to keep their mouths shut."

Israel's genocide in Gaza

'It's about time': Israeli media praise assassination of Anas al-Sharif

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