Salute the Heroes, Part I: The Journalists
By Jonathan Kuttab
As we get ready to celebrate Christmas, we think of all the people in Gaza and Palestine who are in no position to celebrate. War is hell. But, for some it can bring out courage and sacrifice, and people are accustomed to acknowledging and saluting their heroes. I would also like to celebrate heroes, and for me the true heroes are not the fighters, however brave they may be, but the civilians and noncombatants who nonetheless carry out their sacred duties under extremely difficult conditions.
It is said that one of the first casualties of any war is truth. The responsibility of professional, independent journalists to monitor events, and verify, analyze, and inform the general public cannot be overstated. Where serious violations of human rights, war crimes, and atrocities are common, the presence of journalists, particularly international journalists, is of vital importance, as they can often prevent, or ameliorate the most egregious violations by their very presence
This service comes at a cost; 68 journalists were killed worldwide in 2022. Since evil prefers to operate in the dark, away from public scrutiny, every army or armed group attempts to hide or excuse the crimes of its own members in situations of war.
In Israel’s recent onslaught on Gaza, which began as a retaliation for the attacks of October 7, seeking revenge for the humiliation of its army and security services, Israel immediately moved to prevent access by foreign journalists to its area of operations. In fact, Israel informed the Egyptian authorities that it would close the border crossing if Egypt allowed any foreign journalists to enter. One CNN TV crew recently snuck in for a day to visit the Emirati Field Hospital and reported on what she called a “glimpse into hell.” No other western TV journalist has been allowed in, except for those who agreed to embed with the Israeli army, were severely controlled, and signed an agreement to allow Israeli oversight of their reporting.
Without international journalists, brave local journalists have stepped forward. Some started as bloggers and “citizen journalists,” recording, documenting, and publishing on social media outlets their experiences in Gaza. Others are full-time professional journalists connected with television networks, like Al Jazeera and Al Mayadeen. They have been deliberately targeted, their press vests and helmets becoming beacons for Israeli snipers and tank crews. As of this writing, almost 80 of these heroic journalists have been killed. This is more journalists killed than in any other warzone in over 30 years, yet we do not hear about them. Many of them have had their homes targeted and destroyed, and they have lost whole families. In October, Al Jazeera correspondent Wael Al-Dahdouh lost his wife, children, and grandson in a targeted airstrike on his home. Last week, he lost his cameraman Samer Abu Daqqa, who held Belgian citizenship, but refused to leave Gaza to help get the truth out. The journalists in Gaza wake up each day not knowing whether they will survive.
Besides risking life and limb, there is a second kind of heroic journalism which is displayed by Israeli journalists, like Amira Hass and Gideon Levy, who also insist on telling the truth despite the threats, wrath and anger received from their own society.
While the Arab press and the social media is filled with reports of these heroes, the mainline media in the USA and Israel still ignores them, barely mentioning their reports much less their sacrifice. The Israeli narrative has to be protected, the logic goes, and if journalists challenge that narrative they become an enemy to be silenced. I just heard an Israeli minister on Israeli TV news say, in Hebrew, that we cannot allow journalists to report on what is happening. Even if they are neutral and present both sides, they would be serving Hamas, his argument went, and we must not allow that. News outlets were pressured to accept Israeli claims uncritically, and if they dared ask for verification or showed any legitimate journalistic skepticism, they were immediately attacked as antisemitic and “terrorist sympathizers.”
The complicity and responsibility of the Western world in this ongoing genocide is sealed with the reports of these journalists. We all have to answer at one time for our crimes, either to history or a higher power, and we will not be able to say, “We did not know,” as many Germans tried to say following the Holocaust. In our case, thanks to these brave journalists, we do know.
Preach Against Apartheid. Stand Against Genocide
"Hope," in the immortal words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, "is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness."
Responding to the call of our sisters and brothers in Palestine, FOSNA calls upon all communities of faith and conviction to stand firm in the light of truth and preach against apartheid this advent season. Added to this is the call to stand against genocide and take any action in your context that might help disrupt the normal flow of the American Christmas machine until there is a permanent ceasefire. We have gathered resources for worship planners from a diversity of traditions and voices that lift up liberation from Turtle Island to Palestine and beyond. Be it:
an entire service or a single prayer,
a study series or a guest lecture, and/or
a film screening or a fundraising event,
we are asking you to Preach Palestine and lift up the Palestinian people such that they would come to experience the joy, justice, and peace of Christ's liberating reign, as a very real light in the present darkness.
Can you commit your congregation to preach against apartheid and stand against genocide this Advent season?
See also: Suggested Actions To Take this Advent and Christmas Season for resources on faith-based direct actions in response to the genocide in Gaza.
Hatred Will Vanish: 2023 Christmas Appeal
This Christmas season, we are asking for your support. Partner with the critical work of FOSNA in the US and help amplify and support the essential witness of Sabeel, Jerusalem. The importance of our work is greater than it has ever been. With your support, Palestinian Christians can continue to practice steadfastness (Sumud) in the face of the ongoing atrocities and genocide! Your support tells them that the world sees them, hears them, and loves them.
May we all come to embrace the true message of Christmas!
Weekly
Sabeel Prayer Service. Join Sabeel every Thursday (6pm Palestine) for online Bible Study, discussion, and prayer. Examine scripture in light of the ongoing realities confronting the Palestinian Church and the pursuit of Palestinian liberation.
Wave of Prayer. Subscribe to receive Sabeel's Wave of Prayer, enabling friends of Sabeel around the world to pray over issues of critical concern to the Holy Land on a weekly basis.
Kumi Now! December 24 to 30: Week 52 - Christians in the Holy Land
Kumi Now is an online gathering every Tuesday (6pm Palestine) with a guest speaking on the weekly topic. Register here.
Palestinians in the occupied territory face increasingly difficult circumstances due to the Israeli occupation. This has led many Palestinian Christians to emigrate, leading to a diminished Christian presence in the Holy Land. This week, as the World Council of Churches publishes the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle for Palestine and Israel, the Kumi Community is focusing on this problem. Here’s what you need to know and what you can do so that together we can rise up.