where they can be kidnapped, beat up and raped.

Your cause is just but you play a strong hand very poorly.

journalists furious for waiting one hour is laughable...they don´t mind waiting HOURS for a scoop, they just don´t want to report the truth about the weapons being sent to gaza ...They want once again to blame Israel and demonize it. By pretending to be furious they will manage to ignore the story and pretend it never happened.

You are morons. Getting a message to the press depends on playning the game in a certain way and whether you like it or not that means being efficient and nice to the press, making their job as easy as possible. IDF handling of the press is often offhand and amateurish, sometimes because the people handling these matters have the same arrogant mindsets as you appear to have. A little bit of courtesy and professionalism goes a long way. Yes some journalists do not like us but many others are frankly indifferent; they just want to do their job and go home at the end of the day.

I think a plausible conclusion of this story is that the PR war is already lost. You can't get the word out if the people who own the communication channels won't carry it. And so, the media is already in a self-supporting spiral away from Israel. Another example, pictures of the Fogel family posted on YouTube were taken down by the web site. They claim it was in compliance with their rule about shocking and gruesome photos. However, there are numerous such photos, victims of violence (including Palestinian ones) that they don't take down. They instead put up a warning, and make you click on an acknowledgment before taking you to a video. Go to YouTube and search for "palestinian killed disturbing". Israel can't shout as loud as its opponents, because at this point, the opponents hold nearly all the megaphones.

... port security trumps news reporting, every time. These prima donna reporters need to learn that they are not the center of the universe. If they fail to recognize the importance of fifty tons of weapons that was en route to terrorist elements and intended to be used against innocent Israeli civilians being interdicted, then they aren't much in the way of reporters. Israel should remove their press credentials and send them packing. The bottom line is it doesn't really matter what the reporters think and public relations doesn't play a role. The world's press corps is not exactly friendly to Israel in the best of times; this inclident should not be seen as a missed public relations event. It is what it is -- a blow struck by Israel against terrorism. I really don't care whether it makes the world news or not. Job well done, IDF -- you have saved lives. To hell with foreign media.

Give me a break.!! Israel is not perfect , but more perfect than most countries. These parasite reporters would do anything or wait days to find something wrong with Israel. Mr. Jay start bashing the arabs, but maybe your afraid to.

The Foreign Press is only interested in demonizing and delegitimizing Israel.

When it comes to PR Israel is a distant second to Pallywood. Why didn't these guys just take a special press convoy to the site. Now that being said, what spoiled little brats the Main Stream Media seems to be. If was a story that would vilify Israel they would have gladly waited 4 or 5 hours without a word of protest. But because it vilified Hamas, they just had outrage, for a puny 1 hour wait, what blatant hypocrisy. Hamas is throwing out the press, arresting the press and stealing their camera's in Gaza, to hide the fact that Hamas is shooting, tear gassing, beating protesters and arresting the press. Yet they're whining over a 1 hour wait in Israel. Please, save the hollow indignation, how selective can you be? AGAIN THE DOUBLE STANDARD.

so what's the big deal? however, israel defending itself against these hamas/fatah terrorists is always big news. and guess which side the 'international' press takes on such defensive measures...

This is someone from the foreign press and #5 is completely correct. It also is simply a practical problem: This story will have to go to print or onto the waves immediately. We have to produce our features and write our articles. There´s just no time to hang around for for an hour - and it also is not in Israel´s interest to delay publication. There´s no need to be paranoid: There are very few foreign journalists who don´t understand that weapon´s smuggling to Gaza is a serious threat to Israel´s security. We´re not that hostile. It´s just that Israel wasts a lot of time and energy on trying to explain the unexplicable (like trying to legalize illegal outposts) and not enough on fair points like Iran´s support for Hamas and Hizbullah.

You are not in the news : )

Israel- stop thinking about the Press. Do what you have to do. The Press has been reduced for the most part to poison. They do not care about truth- they care about politics. They create and control events. Every report should be scrutinized for accuracy and veracity. Each member of the Press should be valued based on their credibility measure. Impunity for false reporting should stop.

story is about weapons captured not feelings of forein reporters--israeli press loves bashing idf..what has press done to defend coutry?

Perception is reality. And the reality is that the Israeli P.R mavens don’t seem to understand that the foreign press is not impressed by the feat of the Israeli armed forces. They are impressed by access to the story in a manner that will allow them face or print time in their respective country. Not hours after their public has read about the story on the internet but before it has become old news. The perception is that Israel assumes that the world is impressed with its achievements and PR is just an afterthought. Israel is losing the PR war and, consequently, the sympathy and good will of the world.

An Arab name. Of course the Arabs and their supporters won't like to see yet another round of evidence against them.

then how can we expect a ship seizure to make any ripples? My ear is sewn to BBC World Service (yes, AM 1323 - call me a news freak). Not a single news bulletin not on the hour, not on the half hour has so far mentioned the Itamar massacre, and it's been a week now. OK, the Japan apocalypse has been prioritized understandably, but there have been reports on British Queen's relationship with a Muslim man, sports, Clinton's visit to Egypt. Yet nothing about 5 people's throats slashed in their sleep. I'm not surpised.

Mark, it wouldn't do any good, anyway. You are talking about reporters, editors and news agencies which are congenitally predisposed to praise all things terrorist and blame all things Israeli. A good deed is done for the sake of the deed. It does not have to be painted, dressed up and put on display for international "approval" which will not be forthcoming, anyway. Public relations assumes a priori that Israel must somehow defend its actions or be accountable to the world for exercising its sovereign right to self-defense. Neither is the case. It wouldn't be effective; may as well stop beating a dead horse. The money that a massive PR campaign would cost is better spent elsewhere. Israel is accountable to its citizens. An exercise of Israeli sovereignty is not subject to the international approval of governments, let alone the press corps.

They can go to hell, I you ask me. I wouldn't invite them for a hoot. Reporters go after news: they don't sit down, collect sandwiches, eat and drink just to get up and say we are furious. Let them go to H-E-L-L!!! Jay , Jerusalem, Israel (03.16.11) YOU ARE THE MORON! Please don't reply me because that would further show how limited some of us can be in terms of critical analysis of a simple situation. I won't be joining words with you on complex issues. Shalom.

the one Mr. "Ben Yahuda" had to "find" a "Farsi Manual" ;) No arms shipment is complete without a "Farsi manual" sent to a bunch of Arabs ;)

I agree with your frustration. But it's not just this incident. Unfortunately Israel does not have a courageous leader but a leader who does a lot on his own to delegitimize Israel himself. If he doesn't believe his cause is just why should others? But I do believe with a strong PR strategy along with a leader with strong belief this is a problem that could be turned around or least given more of a fair balance.

I mean, sheesh. Both Hezbollah and Hamas operatives have visited Iran more than once - the former do so openly, even. Do you honestly believe that they don't have people who speak and read Farsi fluently, and who would then pass on the information in training sessions conducted in Arabic?

In Japan there are thousands of dead people because of a giant tsunami and there are three nuclear reactors on the verge of meltdown. Gaddafi is still killing his own people and calls for a no fly zone is increasing. Here is Israel wanting everybody to pat us on the back because we captured an arms shipment destined for Gaza. Even the Itmar massacre got virtually know coverage except for a small dummed down mention by the BBC blaming the settlers. Nobody even printed the photos of the dead which were released to shock the world. The media can only cover so many incidents at once and we expect the capturing of an arms ship without casualties is bigger news than Japan & Libya. We do not have to be centre of world attention everyday of the week.

Farsi manual for Iranian instructors, they can't be expected to retain all the detials in their rotten heads It's like when you went to school,using a textbook to refresh your memory

When the Karine A was captured back in 2002, the IDF wanted to "show the world" the weapons captured and intended for Arafat's PA. They screwed up that presentation as well, and in exactly the same fashion.

Next they'll be complaining about Japanese infrastructure slowing down their day. Or maybe not, the Japanese people aren't typically Jewish.

What a gung ho guy you are Don, sitting in the USA. I live in Jerusalem and don't have to bash anybody to make myself feel tough although it appears that you do have that problem. 'Afraid'?, well after 20+years in a combat role in the IDF I don't really think that you are in any posistion to ask me that although I certainly have been afraid at various times, but not of talkback heroes.

Did it eve roccur to you that other people also speak Farsi, having been trained in Iran in terror methods ? Who knows, even you might know more than one language, which would give you an advantage of being able to spread multi-lingual hatred

Nothing ruder that a mass walk out by journalists who don´t mind waiting for hours for a press conference from Obama or Clinton for example I have witnessed journalists waiting outside Parisian night clubs from midnight till 5 just to take a picture of some so -called celebrity. Waiting is part of their job...thy just do not want to report the finding of weapons to their palestinian friends....that is why they staged the walk out....lead by a spanish journalist..it says it all.