Israeli government cartoon about foreign journalists sparks controversy
Israel’s foreign ministry has released a controversial cartoon ridiculing foreign coverage of the Gaza Strip.
The 49-second video called ‘Open your eyes about Gaza’ shows a blonde reporter with an American accent talking about how there are no terrorists in Gaza, only to have a man shoot a rocket behind him. He then goes into the notorious smuggling tunnels, which he calls a nascent metro system being built by the Palestinians.
A female character then gives the reporter a pair of glasses, allowing him to see the reality of "life under Hamas rule".
The reporter then faints.
"Terror rules Gaza," a caption reads.
The Israeli Foreign Press Association has hit back at the clip, released earlier this week, saying it was "surprised and alarmed" by the "misleading and poorly conceived" footage.
"It is disconcerting that the ministry would spend its time producing a... video that attempts to ridicule journalists reporting on a conflict" that, according to the UN, killed 2,200 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and 73 on the Israeli side, mostly soldiers.
The Israeli Army counters this and says only 761 Palestinian civilians were killed.
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