’They need to explain’: Claims journalists had prior knowledge of Hamas October 7 attack

Author Rabbi Shmuley Boteach criticised a Washington Post columnist’s comments calling for Israel to give photographers and journalists “the benefit of the doubt” after claims they had advance knowledge of the Hamas attacks on October 7. Washington Post columnist Megan McArdle’s comments come after the Israeli government lashed the New York Times, Associated Press, Reuters and CNN over allegations photographers and journalists who worked at the outlets had prior knowledge of terror group Hamas’ attacks on Israel. Ms McArdle tweeted, “I understand Israel’s anger, but it is morally wrong and a political mistake to target journalists who rushed to cover a story. Possibly some of them are complicit, I don’t know. But Israel should give them the benefit of the doubt,” Ms McArdle tweeted. Author Rabbi Shmuley Boteach was asked in an interview with Sky News host Rita Panahi about his thoughts on the columnist’s call for the Israeli government to give photojournalists the benefit of the doubt. “Give them the benefit of the doubt, these are media outlets that have falsely maligned Israel for decades. These are media outlets that have demonised the Jewish state for simply defending itself from another genocide, from another Holocaust,” Mr Boteach told Sky News host Rita Panahi. “They don’t have the benefit of the doubt because their maligning and demonisation of Israel has gone on for so long, that their bias is so apparent, that none of us would be surprised if they had advanced knowledge of the attack. Author Rabbi Shmuley Boteach went on to question what the photojournalists were doing at the Gaza-Israel border in the first place so early in the morning. “By the way, what were the New York Times, CNN, and Reuters photojournalists doing on the Gaza-Israel border at 6:30 am on a Saturday morning, were they camping out, were they barbequing for their families,” he said. “They need to explain how they were there taking pictures if they had no advance knowledge.”