Jew vs. Jew media circus

GUSH KATIF – With about two weeks until Israeli forces attempt to uproot the Jewish communities of Gaza, media outlets from around the world are hunkering down here anywhere they can find space, as the potential for Jew versus Jew conflict remains high.

There are currently about 1,500 reporters in Gush Katif, the slate of Gaza's Jewish communities scheduled for evacuation Aug. 17. That's almost one reporter for every six Katif residents. An estimated 400 more journalists and photographers are expected to arrive in the coming days.

Media stationed in Katif include televisions networks from the U.S., UK, France, Germany, Belgium, China, Japan, Sweden, Hungary, Russia, Bulgaria, and a host of other countries; journalists from over 75 major U.S. and European newspapers; and radio correspondents from across the globe.

Over 200 freelance photographers and cameramen, and nearly 100 Israeli journalists are present as well.

Why is the world's media centered on Gush Katif?

Katif resident and IsraelReporter.com blogger Shlomo Wollins said, "Because it's hair-raising. You have two massive forces charging at each other, and neither will be deterred. On one side, you have Sharon and his people, even though some don't want to, who are swooping down to evict the Gush Katif Jews. On the other side, you have the residents and their many supporters from around the country who will do what it takes to stop this plan."

According to prominent political strategist George Birnbaum, "It's because it's Jew versus Jew. So of course the world is interested. If you uprooted a group of people from their homes anywhere else it would be a war crime but might not get attention. Here, it's just considered fascinating. It's a shame the media doesn't focus this much attention on other important issues. If they reported on Dalfour like this, the issue would be resolved."

For Anita Tucker, a Katif spokeswoman and a longtime area resident, the media attention is heartening.

"The world is fascinated because this is the land of the Bible. This is where it all began. I think people around the globe look at us as heroes, standing up against an immoral plan to throw us out of our homes. We're fighting against terrorism even when our own government fails to do so itself. This is a story of good versus evil. And everyone wants to know how it will all end, which side will prevail."

With large numbers of people living in Katif on solidarity missions, housing is very tight. Journalists have been resorting to creative measures to find suitable accommodations, with few options remaining.

Katif's only hotel, the Palm Beach Hotel, is off limits. The site became an Israeli Defense Forces outpost in June following the forced removal of nearly 200 anti-withdrawal protesters. Even some community centers are filled with families who streamed in to protest the withdrawal.

Many reporters are renting rooms, including basements and attics, in private Gush Katif homes for large sums of money. The housing demand and the number of reporters from networks with sizable budgets has driven to record highs the cost of housing in an area that may be bulldozed next month.

Landlords are asking for six months of rent up front.

Some networks scouted the area in mid-June and reserved their space early. A cameraman for a major news syndication service told WND the company is spending USD 23,000 to rent an attic that can accommodate 15.

Ai Kim, from Chinese television, said his network is paying USD 7,000 for a small apartment in the Katif town of Neveh Dekalim, where most reporters are living.

A reporter from an Israeli newspaper is sharing a room in a private home with a U.S. correspondent for USD 5,000. WorldNetDaily paid a similar amount for a small attic.

Eli Fastman, Jerusalem bureau chief for Fox News Channel, told WND his network is spending "several thousand dollars" for places inside and outside Gush Katif.

Some reporters are still struggling to find living space. Anne Bernard, Middle East bureau chief for the Boston Globe, is among those searching for a place to stay. Her options include a few rooms in a private Katif home for about USD 5,000.

"The difficulty is of course partly because of the demand. But it's also hard to find housing because the people here are going through such a difficult time, and many just don't want outsiders in their midst," Bernard told WND.

Reporters shouldn't get too comfortable in their new Gaza digs. As WND reported, despite multiple promises media access to Gaza's Jewish communities would not be restricted during the upcoming withdrawal, Israel recently demanded as condition for entering the area that journalists first sign a contract they will depart before the evacuation.

Following the July 15 closure of Gaza, which was declared a military zone, the IDF spokesperson's office faxed contracts to media outlets in Israel conditioning entry into the Gaza Strip on reporters agreeing to vacate three days prior to the withdrawal.

The contract, to be signed by individual reporters, states, "I am aware that in any case, I must leave (the communities slated for withdrawal) no later than Aug. 14, 2005."

The agreement also requires reporters to coordinate their travel with the IDF, provide the IDF with continuous contact information, and agree to "leave the Restricted Area, without delay, immediately after being told to do so by the authorized IDF officials."

The Foreign Press Association in Israel has taken issue with the restrictions.

Glenys Sugarman, executive secretary of the Foreign Press Association, told WND: "We think the agreement is entirely excessive. If the settlers can stay until the 17th, why can't the media? The obligations required by the forms represent an attack on journalistic freedoms and free movement of our members and disregard ongoing negotiations between us and the authorities to permit a core number of journalists to remain inside the area during evacuation."

An IDF spokesman told WND that while reporters will not be allowed to stay inside Gaza's Jewish communities during the evacuation, there will be daily media shuttles to the area.

He would not say whether journalists would be allowed to travel freely once inside, or whether the shuttle would go to areas being evacuated or communities already emptied.

"There also may be some opportunities for reporters to be embedded with army units. We're still working on that," said the spokesman.

Still, some journalists are privately vowing to defy IDF regulations and hide out in Gush Katif. But they may have technical difficulties filing their reports.

WND broke the story that in the first few days of the Gaza evacuation, Israeli forces led by the Southern District Police Command may shut off utilities, including electricity and phone lines, and block cell-phone service from Gush Katif to affect area residents who refuse to leave on their own accord.

"I was planning to send in my stories by e-mail," said one Israeli correspondent who said she will attempt to stay during the withdrawal. "If that didn't work, I thought I could read it off to our office on my cell phone. Now I don't know what I will do."