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Kibbutz Nahal-Oz, Israel 700 meters from Gaza
One of the Israeli army's conclusions from the war in Lebanon in 2006 was
that allowing the local media free access to the action - leads to bad results.
Since then Israeli journalists have been forbidden from
entering the country's other battleground - The Gaza Strip.
During the recent clash between the Israelis and the Palestinians (Jan. 2009)
Israeli soldiers did their best to prevent domestic and foreign journalists
from getting a clear view of the battles.
(Soldiers:) No photos! Hey, don't take photos here!
(Roy:) Good morning.
Roy Edan lives just across the field from Gaza.
He is a Video Journalist working for Israel's leading news website.
We're now in front of Shuja'iyya - A neighborhood in the middle of the Gaza Strip
The advantage of this spot is that it is the clearest view point into Gaza.
Roy admits that during the operation he could not do his job properly.
One day (during the war) a soldier came here and started questioning
me and saying that I'm not allowed to take photos here.
He became angry and kept repeating that photos are forbidden here.
It got to a point when I said to him, "listen man, I live here, and I have
been taking photos from this spot everyday in the past four years",
Then he said that he's got the authority to stop me and that it's for my own security.
There was a mantra that the soldiers kept repeating all the time,
they kept saying that during the Lebanon war (2006) the media had
too much access to the battles, so this time the media must be kept away -
The call is from the news desk in Tel-Aviv, they want Roy to go
visit Erez Terminal, the only official exit out of the Gaza.
(Q): Could you ride this road during the military operation in Gaza?
This whole area was declared military zone, only army personal could enter
I could drive in this road, but if I tried to stop and take photos
the military police immediately stopped me and alerted the police
This is a good place for meeting people, and right now I can see a Palestinian
woman waiting over there, let's go check why she's here.
My Arabic isn't so great, let's hope she speaks Hebrew.
I see she's got a tent here, so it might be a complicated
situation, she's probably been here for a while.
Hello...
How many days have you been here?
I have been sleeping here, with my children, in a tent
that some people brought, we don't have much food or water.
Once a month my husband (who is in Gaza) comes here
with my other two girls with him, but they don't have Israeli I.D.'s
so they must stay there, he and my girls - I need to see them.
We don't have food or clothes, look at how my family is -
we have nothing.
Erez Terminal is the only place in Israel where I can get information (about Gaza),
here I talk with foreign journalists or diplomats that return (from Gaza)
and sometimes, rarely, get to see some Palestinian people.
A Palestinian family just arrived from Gaza - without the father who is sick or
maybe dead - and now we are trying to get them to talk about what they experienced
It's like they are complete aliens.
(Q): Why do you say they are like aliens? What do you mean by that?
(Roy:) What do you know about people from Mars? (Q): Nothing.
(Roy:) and I know nothing about the people of Gaza.
But they don't live in Mars, they live 200 meters from me
It doesn't make sense to create such a barrier between people -
regardless of the media blockage - it's not logical to create such barriers between people.
During the operation in Gaza I didn't bring even one story about the people of Gaza.
Where from? I'd need to make it up. It's impossible to talk with them or film them,
I am not allowed to go into Gaza or even go near the border.
There were very few clear reports about what's happening in Gaza during
month long Israeli operation. The army called that a success,
but for Roy, it was like a slap in the face from his own country.
During the operation, even just coming here, meant I was breaking the law.
It was a very bad feeling to have Israeli soldiers telling me what to do and not do,
I don't wish for anyone to wake up one morning in his own country,
and discover he's living in a military regime,
it felt like being under a military regime.