HonestReporting has frequently called out news organizations that chastise Israel for its anti-terror measures on the Gaza Strip border while simultaneously ignoring the Egyptian blockade of the territory (see for example here, here and here). Many widely-read outlets, like the Associated Press, now more accurately refer to it as an “Israeli-Egyptian blockade.” Unfortunately, some still opt only to emphasize one side of the story.
Case in point: Agence France-Presse (AFP). The French press agency’s most recent report on Gaza fishing restrictions fails to mention Egypt’s measures against the coastal enclave even once. According to the October 24 article, subsequently published by public broadcaster France 24 and other news websites, Gaza is “fenced in from three sides by Israel.” AFP correspondents Mai Yaghi and Guillaume Lavallee blatantly omit that Gaza shares a 12-kilometer-long (7.4 miles) border with Egypt.
The piece also glosses over the threat posed by Gaza-based terror groups to Israel’s civilian population, disregarding the fact that a United Nations committee has described the Jewish state’s concerns over Hamas’ weapons smuggling as “legitimate.”
Join the fight for Israel’s fair coverage in the news
Israel’s anti-terror tactics were instituted 14 years ago in an attempt to quell terrorism emanating from the Gaza Strip. In the months leading up to Hamas’ violent 2007 takeover, the US-designated terror group launched hundreds of rockets and mortar shells at Israeli territory. In total, Palestinian factions that year alone fired over 1,200 rockets at the Jewish state, killing at least two civilians and injuring over 300.
In response to the intensifying attacks by Gaza’s new Islamist rulers, the Israeli government in September 2007 announced its intention to instate a set of far-reaching sanctions against what it called “hostile territory” — soon to become known as the Gaza blockade. The unanimous security cabinet decision stressed that it would first weigh the legal and humanitarian aspects before such measures were enacted.
Gaza’s southern neighbor, Egypt, soon followed suit and tightened its grip on its border in early 2008, taking actions that have sometimes been criticized by human rights activists. Fearing that Hamas’ terrorism would spill over into the Sinai Peninsula, Cairo sealed the frontier with miles of barbed wire. “Anyone who violates Egypt’s borders will get his leg broken,” then-Egyptian foreign minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit was quoted as saying.
Despite the sometimes ruthless nature of the Egyptian sanctions, journalists nevertheless focus on Israel’s measures, which are up to par with international human rights standards.
Related Reading: By Ignoring Egypt’s Gaza Strip Blockade, Media Paint Inaccurate Picture of Defensive Israeli Policies
Be that as it may, almost 15 years, four major conflicts, and many civilian deaths later, the need to stop Hamas and other Gaza-based terror groups from further expanding their vast weapon arsenals is even more pertinent. Increasingly, Gaza’s terrorists have moved from rudimentary, domestically produced rockets — sometimes built using so-called ‘dual-use’ goods imported through Israeli border crossings — to advanced weapons technology imported from abroad.
It was during the 2012 war that Palestinian Islamic Jihad first launched Iranian long-range missiles at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. In May 2021, Hamas struck cities as far as Haifa, about 150 kilometers (90 miles) from Gaza. The ruling faction also possesses a variety of Russian-produced rockets and anti-tank missiles, and Egyptian forces have seized shipments of American-made missiles headed for the Strip.
According to the Israeli Security Agency, “The major smuggling route is from Iran to Sudan, on to Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula, and from there to the Gaza Strip, with Iran’s direct involvement in providing the arms and transferring them into the Gaza Strip.” In addition to terror tunnels, Israeli forces have foiled many smuggling attempts through the Mediterranean Sea (see for example here, here and here).
Related Reading: The Gaza Blockade: An Explainer
These indisputable facts about Palestinian weapons smuggling are not mentioned anywhere in AFP’s October 24 article, titled “Under Israel’s Blockade, Gaza Fishermen Struggle for a Catch,” which focuses on the difficulties facing Gaza’s fishing industry. Rather, the article presents the Jewish state’s proven security needs as a mere claim, while accusing Jerusalem of hindering fishermen from obtaining supplies:
Israel restricts such items citing their’ duel [sic] use’, saying they could either aid Hamas weapons production, or the powerful engines could be used by smugglers. It says the blockade is necessary to protect Israeli civilians who have been targeted with thousands of rockets fired by militants in the enclave since the Hamas takeover.”
In fact, while the piece tries to paint Israel in a negative light for placing limits on the Gaza fishing zone, a United Nations panel in 2011 ruled that “the naval blockade [of Gaza] was imposed as a legitimate security measure [emphasis added] in order to prevent weapons from entering Gaza by sea and its implementation complied with the requirements of international law.”
The UN report recommended that “all humanitarian missions wishing to assist the Gaza population should do so through established procedures and the designated land crossings in consultation with the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority.”
Related Reading: Media Silence: Hamas Rockets Prevent Israel-approved Aid From Entering Gaza
AFP’s October 24 article moreover charges Israel — and Israel alone — with shooting at vessels trying to breach the naval blockade, possibly with the intention of bringing weapons to the Strip. Once again, Egypt’s role is entirely excised from the equation. This, even though Cairo has repeatedly used deadly force against Palestinian vessels approaching its waters.
As recently as October 4, local media reported an incident where the Egyptian army opened fire on a Palestinian fishing vessel. A similar case in 2020 took the lives of two Gazans, while injuring a third, prompting the Palestinian fishing union to call for a three-day strike. The guild at the time declared that Egypt’s military had killed six fishermen in 14 years.
In another tell-tale sign of AFP’s selective outrage, the news agency does not mention Hamas’ evident crimes against Palestinian fishermen. In March 2021, three Gazans were killed at sea in what appeared to be a misfired rocket launched by the terror group. Hamas’ naval commando unit has also been accused of posing as fishermen, endangering the work of civilians.
Seemingly, AFP is only interested in the plight of fishermen in Gaza when the Jewish state, acting in self-defense, can be blamed — albeit unjustifiably. Meanwhile, the measures taken by Arab governments and the criminal actions of Palestinian terror groups are not subject to the same scrutiny.
Related Reading: Palestinians Versus Everyone Else: Media’s Selective Outrage When Israel’s Not Involved
Join HonestReporting in calling on Agence France-Presse and France 24 to amend the story to reflect both sides and include crucial background on Israel’s defensive measures. AFP Jerusalem Bureau Chief Guillaume Lavallée can be reached through [email protected]. Contact France 24 using this online contact form.
Featured Image: Mustafa Hassona/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
