Haggai Matar

December 1, 2024

Independent Journalism in Israel-Palestine in the Age of 10/7, the Gaza War and Trump

Through Haggai’s critical lens we learned of the Israeli government’s extraordinary step to bar the entry of journalists to cover Gaza and the compliance of the spectrum of Israel’s mainstream media with this situation. The atrocities committed in Gaza are not covered in mainstream channels. While the information is still accessible through other local and international channels and sources, many people do not want to know.

The role of independent media becomes that much more important under such circumstances. Haggai described +972/Local Call’s extensive links between its journalists and the hundreds of Palestinian journalists who are in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as with other Israeli and international platforms, for robust coverage.

In a world riddled by wildly divergent narratives and edging toward ‘post-truth’, he advised not to rely on any one media outlet only, but to read, compare and cross-check across several sources.

+972/Local Call’s bi-national model gives hope—a mix of staff and journalists comprising Jewish Israelis, Palestinian citizens of Israel, and Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank who share a commitment to equality and justice (and of course journalism ethics).