Free Republic

Israel learned lessons from its military campaign in Jenin in 2002 and decided to embed a handful of Israeli and foreign reporters with the IDF to cover the current fighting in Rafah. One of the mistakes made in Jenin, said Gideon Meir, the Foreign Ministry's deputy director-general for public affairs, was to keep reporters away. The result, he said, was that it seemed Israel was trying to hide its actions, when it wasn't. It also led to the publication of wild tales about large-scale massacres. Meir said he hopes the foreign press, which in many cases reported rumor as truth...

The IDF has imposed a closure on the West Bank city of Kalkilya after Palestinians fired on a group of construction workers building the security fence in the area. One of the workers, an Israeli Arab, was wounded in the attack and was taken to Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba for treatment. He was reported to be in light to moderate condition. Palestinian witnesses said IDF forces entered Kalkilya after the shooting attack and imposed a closure on the city.