Israel's losing media strategy

[Commentary] Through more than two weeks of fighting in the current conflict in Gaza, Israel has relegated the international news media to the cheap seats despite a high court ruling that called for greater access. Unable to enter Gaza, correspondents peer in from beyond a security buffer two miles from the border. Israeli officials justify the policy on two grounds: the reporters' own safety and Israel's national security. No doubt the Israeli government is worried about sympathies generated by stories of Palestinian suffering. But it cannot be enjoying media coverage from Gaza dominated by a context-free stream of images of the wounded, disseminated by people with unknown agendas. To be sure, the presence of foreign journalists on the ground is no guarantee of accuracy. But on balance, the closer journalists are to the events unfolding, the clearer the picture that will emerge. (Jonathan Finer is a foreign correspondent on leave from the Washington Post)