November 19, 2012
Hundreds of journalists arrive in Israel
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Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak speaks during a news conference near Tel Aviv on Nov. 18. Photo by Daniel Bar-On/Reuters
Hundreds of journalists and television crews have arrived in Israel to cover the conflict with Gaza.
Since the start of Operation Pillar of Defense, some 500 foreign journalists have requested press credentials from the Government Press Office, according to the GPO. The credentials allow them free access to conflict zones
The newly arrived journalists join the some 1,400 journalists and television crew members who cover Israel on a regular basis, according to the GPO.
Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Minister Yuli Edelstein has directed GPO Director Nitzan Chen to receive the journalists quickly and efficiently, to bring them to communities in the south that are under missile threat, and to provide them with information and data.
One-third of the newly arrived journalists have come to reinforce crews that previously were, one-third represent North American media outlets and one-third are from Europe, according to Chen.
"We are working so that alongside the photos of planes and tanks, there are the voices of the people who have been enduring a daily reality over the years that no other country would be prepared to accept," Edelstein said in a statement.
