The other day Hamas shelled Israel from the safety of Gaza.
The UN "observers" there either were told to get out of town or decided to hit the road before Israel dared to retaliate. Either way, they cleared out of Dodge.
Did they take the pro-Hamas "journalist" with them? I'm not 100 percent sure.
We know that some "foreign journalists'" reason d'être is to give Israel a political black eye no matter what it does or to what extremes Tzhal goes to avoid civilian casualties - never mind that the "freedom fighters" lack uniforms and often are pre-teen children used as shields - or bombs.
Israel should take a leaf from the U.S.'s book on embedding journalists with combat troops.
Ditto the UN "observers."
Invite the displaced UN troops and selected foreign journalists - in particular those representing media known to be Hamas sympathizers - to travel with the IDF combat forces. Offer the option: Go with the IDF or leave the county and forget about ever being allowed back in.
A least this way - pairing pro-Hamas UN staff and pro-Hamas "journalists" with true neutral observers and honest journalists perhaps there will be fewer lies that Israel is targeting "civilians."
If a child is being used as shield for a Hamas "freedom fighter" and the child is wounded or killed by Israeli fire, at least the Hamas sympathizers will be standing next to someone who sees the same thing for what it really is - not Israel "targeting" children, but Hamas using children as living shields for the cowards hiding behind them.
If BBC, CNN, and Fox are filming the same scene it becomes fairly simple to see how each team edited the tapes to suit their point of view.
If AP and Agence France-Presse are covering a battle, there is a better chance that the truth will win out, or at least lies will be exposed.
Israel must insist that UN staff from Gaza and "journalists" - preferably from Gaza and the Arab press as well as the international contingent - be embedded with IDF front line units.
Funny enough, from what I've seen of Al Jazeera, it seems to be trying to provide unbiased news, even about Israel and its dealings with the PA and Hamas.
Putting the Israel bashers where they can't miss seeing the truth won't make the liberals in - or out of - Israel happy, but it might - might let the world see the truth.
And of Israel does deliberately shell a civilian target that is not being used as a shield by a "freedom fighter", then the IDF will be caught in the act. Still, if the civilian structure is like the UN building the IDF allegedly targeted during Cast Lead, the observers and "journalists" will see what is, or was, behind the walls.
What about children clothed in explosive vests packed with shrapnel? Let them walk to the UN observers and "journalists" to kill and maim.
