Gilad Shalit Comes Home in the Eye of the Media
October 19, 2011 11:59 by Simon Plosker
Gilad Shalit (Photo: IDF)
After over five years in captivity, Gilad Shalit was finally reunited with his family on Israeli soil as part of a deal that saw hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including many responsible for heinous and deadly acts of terror, released.
A LOW POINT FOR ETHICAL COVERAGE
From the Israeli side, the main news networks had agreed to handle the story sensitively by keeping their distance from the Shalit home and avoiding invasive photography. Indeed, the blanket coverage on Israeli television was a drip feed of carefully controlled IDF footage and images of the newly released Shalit.
Prior to that, however, as Shalit was released into Egyptian custody, ethical journalism went out of the window as a bewildered and tired looking Shalit, after 5 years in isolation, found himself in front of an Egyptian TV camera for an interview with newswoman Shahira Amin.
Amin has come under intense fire from Israel for conducting an interview under such circumstances, criticism that she has rejected. Was Shalit forced to give the interview? Not according to Amin:
It’s true that he was brought in by armed Hamas men, but in the room itself there were only Egyptian intelligence people. They didn’t intervene, and neither did the Hamas men. I say this with complete authority and responsibility: I asked Gilad if he was willing to be interviewed and he said he was. If he’d answered that he didn’t, I wouldn’t have conducted the interview. He seemed pale and exhausted, it’s true, but at the same time he seemed happy that he was going home, and gave good answers. Personally I would have preferred the interview to be in English, without the translator, but Gilad preferred to speak in Hebrew.
Could Shalit possibly have agreed to be interviewed so readily due to the presence of a masked Hamas operative in the room?
As for the interview itself, the Jerusalem Post gives some analysis:
“During all that time of captivity, you did just one video to tell the world and your family that you’re alive,” she tells the soldier. “Why just once? Why didn’t it happen again?”Rather than letting him answer, however, Schalit’s Hamas minder-cum-interpreter scolds Amin for asking the same question twice (a peculiar accusation, given the footage shows the question hadn’t been asked before).
The resulting argument between interviewer and minder is one of the interview’s more regrettable scenes. Amin says Schalit appears unwell, and “that’s why I’m asking the question again” – as if drilling him repeatedly will have a salutary effect. The question is itself absurd, roughly tantamount to asking a hostage victim why he or she didn’t escape sooner.
. . .
Amin proceeds to ask Schalit what “lessons” he learned in captivity. After asking for the question to be repeated, he says he believes a deal could have been reached sooner. Here the Hamas minder renders his response as praise for reaching a deal “in such short time” – a mistranslation repeated by the BBC’s own real-time interpreter.
“Gilad, you know what it’s like to be in captivity,” Amin continues as the painful charade drags on. “There are more than 4,000 Palestinians still languishing in Israeli jails. Will you help campaign for their release?”
Schalit’s answer, after a few seconds’ stunned silence, is superior: “I’d be very happy if they were released,” he says, then adds the caveat, “provided they don’t return to fighting Israel.”
Again, the Egyptian interpreter fails to translate the sentence’s second clause, and again the omission is repeated by the BBC’s interpreter, though he too was apparently translating from Hebrew in real-time.
“I will be very happy for the prisoners to go free, so that they can be able to go back to their families, loved ones and territory. It will give me great happiness if this happens,” the BBC’s interpreter relays.
And shame on those members of the international press such as the LA Times, which failed to adequately check the translation before repeating Shalit’s mistranslated words:
Asked whether he would work to help secure the release of other Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, Shalit said he would be happy to see them reunited with their families and that he hoped the spirit of cooperation that led to his release would continue between Israelis and Palestinians.
Lasting ten painful minutes for a visibly strained Shalit, the interview delayed his return to Israel and marks a new low point in the media’s need for instant gratification regardless of the cost.
PALESTINE PIE IN THE SKY
Just what is going on at Sky News? Only days ago HonestReporting flagged its coverage, since corrected, that wrongly stated that Shalit had been captured in Gaza. (He was, of course, kidnapped on Israeli soil.) Now, in another blunder, Sky reports:
Putting to one side the argument over whether the term “Palestine” should even be part of the accepted lexicon, in this case, the term is utterly wrong. It wasn’t “Palestine” or even the Palestinian Authority that Israel agreed the deal with. It was Hamas, which certainly cannot claim to represent “Palestine” and governs only the Gaza Strip.
This error was also repeated by The New Statesman, perhaps less of a surprise given that the publication is under the editorship of Islamist Mehdi Hasan.
A SICK SYMMETRY
The Guardian reports:
Families wept as they embraced. Children who had no memories of their fathers were held up to be kissed. But some of the freed prisoners seemed most intent on embracing mothers who wailed with joy.
The reaction across the Gaza Strip and the West Bank as hundreds of jailed Palestinians returned home, or at least left their prison cells, was not so different from the matching emotions in Israel at the release of just one man.
Actually, the emotions displayed by some Palestinians did not match those of Israelis. Perhaps The Guardian’s Chris McGreal would have changed his teary-eyed tune had he also reported on events at the Hamas-organized welcome home event in Gaza, as described in The Daily Telegraph, amongst others:
But outside, the crowd – now 100,000 strong – was in full voice, chanting in unison: “We want another Gilad, we want another Gilad.” Such scenes will have done little to boost the reputation of Gaza’s Palestinian population in international eyes. Some admitted that the spectacle was unedifying, even distasteful – but insisted that they had no choice.
Despite all of the above, Israel and every decent human being can breathe a collective sigh of relief. Gilad Shalit, a young man deprived of his freedom for over five years without even a visit from the Red Cross, is back where he belongs. Welcome home Gilad.
Emes
11:13 pm
Oct 19, 2011
Wonderful news that Galid is reunited with his family, this news broadcast was the last hurdle and, tired as he was, he acknowledged the half-baked questions cleverly and with dignity.
It is so controversial that the BBC’s frontman Jeremy Bowan is not speaking up for the gypsies in Essex when he was so verbal when the Palestinians were ousted from parts of Israel.
Is it one of the stipulations to be an anti-semite when working for the BBC? If so, then half of the world must be in a line for a job there!
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David Bates
1:01 am
Oct 20, 2011
It just goes to show how WORTHLESS the Islamic terrorists are; the exchange rate is 1 Israeli for 1,000 terrorists…it means that they aren’t worth too much are they?
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Naomi B.
3:18 am
Oct 20, 2011
It just reafirms how much more each life is treasured by jews, as opposed of sending ones children to death as suicide bombers!
As Golda Meir once said:’ there will only be peace when Arabs learn to love their children more then they hate Jews”
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Okey
3:43 am
Oct 20, 2011
Incompetence, antisemitic anti-Zionism, ignorance and laziness are the hallmarks of much of the reporting of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
“Honest Reporting” does a heroic job of trying to introduce sanity into journalism.
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Richard Weinberg
3:58 am
Oct 20, 2011
I doubt that what I am about to write will win me any friends, but that never stopped me before.
I am disgusted that the Israeli government has done this and even more so that it has 80% support from the Israeli people. Yes, it’s wonderful that Gilad Shalit has been returned, but at what cost? The return of this young man was traded for the return of 1,027 “palestinian” terrorists, many of whom are murderers of Israelis. They, the returned “palestinian” terrorists will, no doubt, go back to doing just what got them into Israeli prisons in the first place.
Further, this will only serve to embolden the “palestinians” to kidnap more Israeli soldiers and civilians for trade. There will be precious few places in the world and even fewer places in the Middle East where it is safe for Jews to travel.
If the decision were mine, I’d have given them 24 hours to safely return Gilad Shalit. If they failed to do that, I’d have given them 1,000 “palestinian” terrorist dead bodies.
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amos
12:02 pm
Oct 21, 2011
A better idea is to bring back the death penalty and the next arab murderer should have the sentence suspended. Then after the next Jew is murdered that sentence should be carried out immediately on the person already convicted and in jail.
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Joel
8:23 am
Oct 20, 2011
It is time to explain to the “Palestinians” that the future should play out as follows:
1. They can have peace on the day they affirm and tell their own people – and all others in the world – that it is Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state and write this into the consitutions of their organizations like Hamas and the PA
2. For every bomb they send at Israel they will in future receive 1 027 in return
3. For every Israeli they kidnap they can expect at least1 027 bodies in retribution
4. For genuine peace their people will receive more than 1 027 rewards and their people’s lives and circumstances will quickly be uplifted to a level that far surpasses their dreams
5.They can have back east-Jerusalem on the day they point out the name “Jerusalem” in the Koran
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nik
8:59 pm
Oct 20, 2011
I have a reply for you Joel, for two points who were written here above.
one for number 3 for every soldier they get as much as it was last time (2,027) well as I wrote in my message here down never. Because they shout high and loud another soldier to be kidnapped so what have we done??? No Now for one another one that’s it.
second point number 5 in the koran never was mentioned that Jerusalem was the capital of the muslims! They are known to arrive on this world much later than the jews isn’t it???
So how comes Jerusalem is mentioned in their koran??? Never mentioned you have two choice or to learn reading the koran so will find out that Israel is never mentioned as a palestine word which arrived on that world much later much much later.
so they have nothing to take off from their Koran, nothing no palestine no jerusalem yes for their Meccah!!!!
And to terminate, very clever indeed for one bomb sending 1,027 back for them, but but but, Israel is tooooooo gooooood to do such a thing . I would !!!!!
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milandroid
9:09 am
Oct 20, 2011
Yes, I watched the video by myself. I and saw Gilad Shalit says “provided they don’t return to fighting Israel.” Those newspaper editor just rush to what they themselves like while omitting other information they don’t like. untrustworthy.
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deiv salutskij
9:32 am
Oct 20, 2011
I am glad that Gilad was freed and I salute Honest reporting for doing a great job in correcting the press at least in your mails….it seems to be an neverending battle
I wish you all gamr ahtima tova and let us pray for peace
Hag Sameah
Deiv
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sav'ta shel Cohen
10:11 am
Oct 20, 2011
I am glad Gilad is home and can only imagine how happy his family must be. To me he is a hero because his spirit and his humanity appear very much intact and hope one day he tells his story so that we can all learn from him. The negotiated release seems very odd to me and I am waiting to find out just what is really going on. Another thing that really struck me was how gaunt and thin Gilad looked after 5 years but how robust, well fed and well looked after the released terrorists looked after 15years more or less as guests of Israel! The Palestinian reaction does not surprise me and even though the spectacle was “unedifying, even distasteful” the world will either not notice or strongly justify it. Can we expect the media to make mention of the stark contrast between behaviours and report something positive about Israel? B’Shum Panim VaOfen Lo!
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Stanley Yuzuk
10:23 am
Oct 20, 2011
I have been wearing my “Where is Gilad Shalit?” T-shirt and pin for the last 4 years. G-d bless the return of this brave young man!!
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amos
12:11 pm
Oct 21, 2011
Yes, It’s good Gilad is home – but poor taste to flood the country with banners saying how good it is to be home. The two soldiers with him and countless other victims will not be coming home and their families’ hearts must be aching.
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Harry
10:48 am
Oct 20, 2011
As an Australian Jew, I am disgusted with this ridiculous swap.
To allow 1,027 cowardly murderers to go free and presumably go back to the only “trade” they know, in order to release ONE IDF soldier, is insane.
My wife and I would have happily taken Shalit’s place if it was in any way possible. We would never expected to be swapped for even TWO of these foul, gutless murderers.
And this is not just idle banter from afar.
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Don Krausz
11:40 am
Oct 20, 2011
The anti-Israeli stance of most of the world press is well-known and so their distortions and omissions of Gilad Shalit’s words and interview were to be expected. The suggestions of returning 1027 terrorist corpses is understandable, given the emotions involved. However, doing that would be the greatest gift, next to capturing Shalit, that the Hamas could be given. Israel has never lost a war against the Arabs nor won a PR battle against them. Can you imagine how they would have exploited their 1027 “martyrs” in the world press and how that press would have demonised Israel and justified the inevitable Jewish terrorist victims worldwide?
Our defence of Israel and Jewry worldwide must be fought with intelligence, not emotion.
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ilan Samson
2:02 pm
Oct 20, 2011
By insisting on these thousand-to-one prisoner’s exchange terms, Arabs have now defined themselves as milli-Israelis !
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Leonard Kahn
7:19 pm
Oct 20, 2011
Before any one can honestly answer,as to the propriety of this unbalanced exchange. Close your eyes and imagine it was your son in caotivity. 1027 to1 you would go for it,
Hot debate. What do you think?
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nik
8:40 pm
Oct 20, 2011
Of course the rascals will shout high and loud another 1000 for another gilad this
is an out of question reason they will shout. B ut!!!! Now is the time to change laws in Israel.
to give one for one that’s it, and to install a new law, “death” instead of “life” jail.
Death for one only reason. Not about soldier fighting another ennemi soldier and being caught. No death for him only life emprisonment if it is a serious matter, like killing (soldiers) inside a battle. But! If a criminal enters a peaceful family home, kill mother, father, children found around sleeping, and and and especially a baby of 3 months, killing him with hate holding his foot and sending him against all walls around till his head exploses! This is a very villain crime, for this only death punishment if they are caught no way to keep and feed such a beast and than release him for an innocent soldier having been kidnapped on his mother’s soil! About time to change those laws. Because there are many rascals who especially killed small infants! I have plenty of real example to say, but too long here….
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Brent Pudsey
4:48 am
Oct 21, 2011
I think that the stakes were high as Hamas had the upper hand. It was important to free a brave soldier and a symbol of good will internationally.
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Action Alert: Tell CNN to fire Shahira Amin - Action Alerts
9:40 pm
Oct 21, 2011
[...] can read more about the interview and watch the video on our blog posting or at Honest Reporting’s analysis of the [...]
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m
6:27 am
Oct 24, 2011
The pails are, as stupid as ever. They don’t even realize the slur they have against them even with this disgusting “swap”. I wonder how it feels to their a-rab sensitivities, to know that 1 Israeli boy is worth more than 1000 of their pathetic cowardly terrorist pussies.
I’m glad Gilad is home BUT, at what cost. I hope the IDF has every intention to recapture those pieces of human waste.
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Last Word
1:48 am
Oct 25, 2011
God demands the death penalty for murderers. Why does Israel disregard and disobey and reject God’s laws? This is why Israel is being punished in so many ways. Israel will face far greater punishments in the future if they continue in their ways of rebellion to Almighty God’s commands. Israel is God’s chosen people, why have they CHOSEN to reject God? The do reject God’s commands.
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Tell CNN to fire Shahira Amin – Action Alerts « Simon Studio Analysis
5:55 am
Oct 25, 2011
[...] can read more about the interview and watch the video on our blog posting or at Honest Reporting’s analysis of the [...]
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