Isabel Largely on the Mark

"In a Broadening Offensive, an Israeli Strike Kills a Senior Hamas Leader"

By Isabel Kershner

A6, A8

Isabel Kershner mentions the death of Nizar Rayyan, a senior Hamas leader, and his four wives and nine children. The death of these thirteen innocents – on the surface – casts a negative light on Israeli actions. But three paragraphs later, Kershner reports that “most Hamas leaders in Gaza have been in hiding since the Israeli operation began,” which suggests that Rayyan knew he was an Israeli target. His decision to allow – or more likely, compel – his wives and children to remain with him at this time demonstrates his cruelty.

In the tenth paragraph, Kershner reports that though rockets have been fired into Israel by Hamas, there are “no serious injuries.” She fails, however, to ask why. The reason is that protecting its citizens is a priority for the state of Israel, and as a result, the government has installed early warning systems so that when a rocket strike is imminent, alarms alert residents to take cover.

Kershner does a number of things right in this article:

1. She follows up the number of Gazans killed with the acknowledgement that “many of the dead were Hamas security personnel.” At times, NYT reporters have failed to indicate this, leading readers to think that the number of civilians killed is greater than it actually is.

2. She quotes two Israelis –Livni and an anonymous official – who provide the Israeli perspective on the air operation.

3. She reports accurately on “Israel’s stated goal for its operation” on A8, paragraph 21.

4. Finally, she highlights Hamas’ intransigence and its politicidal agenda in paragraph 24.