Guided tour of Gaza

Monday, on Telenotícies migdia, Anna Garnatxe and Xavi Coral reminded us of the four-month truce in Gaza, even though Israel continues to deny access to journalists. They reported that despite this context of a supposed ceasefire, attacks have continued and caused over six hundred deaths. They specified that many of them had been killed when crossing the border, now called the “yellow line”. This introduction served to announce that TV3's correspondent in Jerusalem, Jordi Brescó, had been able to enter Gaza in the only way possible: with a convoy organized and controlled by the Israeli army. “The images have value, but they have imposed many limitations, even though Israel presents it as a great opportunity for journalists.” This preliminary was necessary to warn that the operation had more of a propagandistic intention than a journalistic one.In Brescó's report, recorded last Thursday, the correspondent himself indicated it right at the beginning, calling the route with the Israeli convoy “a journalism performance within the forbidden territory.” A very accurate definition, because when the profession loses its essence but its forms are maintained, it is nothing more than a staging: a group of accredited journalists as such and with vests that highlight their status as "Press" but without the possibility of working independently. Brescó defined it as “circumstances very far from those necessary to do good journalism.” He explained that Israel attributed this to security reasons. The journalist insisted that this was “a kind of guided tour”: “We have no freedom of movement nor can we speak with Gazans,” he said.In the images, we saw how the journalists boarded the truck, crossed the gates that mark the area on the route, and arrived at a control point on the yellow line. Brescó showed us how the border was monitored, which warned of the prohibition of passage for Palestinians. Brescó interviewed the army spokesperson, who assured that all those who cross the line are given “all the opportunities in the world to turn back.” The journalist then recalled that 120 people had been shot in that area: “People, including children, who crossed the line without realizing it.” Brescó showed what the yellow line looked like, the lack of clarity of the limit, and how, curiously, on the day of the “guided tour,” the markings were better visible. In fact, they seemed to have been recently placed as part of the operation.The report on Telenotícies had a completely opposite meaning to what the Israeli army might have intended: rather than allowing access to Gaza and appearing to have supposed transparency, the visit demonstrated Israel's control over information and territory. It is very good to see it, if only to understand the context of other news coming from the area and to keep in mind the bias that is intended to be imposed on the narrative and how it is executed.