There is not only no justification for Israel barring press from Gaza, but even Israel's reasoning is seriously flawed. For, as this Israeli analyst writes in ynet, Israel's popular website, when the floodgates 'of hell' open, the stories won't stop.

This is a piece published by Benny Cohen, a crisis media consultant who was media advisor to the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

When the gates of Gaza open to the press, we are going to witness unbearable sights and we will be forced to look at ourselves in the mirror as well

Benny Cohen, Ynet, January 7

Benny Cohen,

Like people sitting in the shelter and hearing the goings-on outdoors but not actually seeing them with their own eyes, so are most of the citizens of Israel, who are informed by the Israeli networks' war reports, the Israeli press and the Israeli radio. The IDF's policy is the complete prevention of the entrance of foreign press and except for Al Jazeera reporters and a small number of other photographers, the Gaza Strip is completely closed to the press. On all of the international networks we see the same pictures from the same sources of information and they are barely coming through. But nonetheless the world is receiving a different picture than we are. Entire families killed, pictures of children's dead bodies, destroyed cities. But not for long. We Israelis are going to get out of our sealed rooms shortly and the shock is coming.

In a few days, two days, two weeks, the IDF is going to have to give the Israeli and foreign press free access to Gaza. When dozens of Israeli and foreign television photographers flood the Gaza Strip, the world press is going to be flooded with harsh images and chilling interviews.

The Israeli media will face a very serious dilemma. On the one hand it will continue presenting the (correct) Israeli position on the lines of "they brought this on themselves," "they shot at us for eight years." On the other hand the leaders of our media realize that a scratch on the forehead of a three-month-old baby from Gedera cannot compete with entire families killed in Gaza.

We can see the first signs for the need to "balance" the killed civilians in Gaza in the publication of the stories of those who were killed on our side, even if the tragedy happened a few years ago. But anyone who understands media knows that pictures are stronger than words. Reason and verbal explanations cannot compete with the picture of a dead child and the psychological effect of such harsh pictures cannot compare with explanations, as correct and reasonable as they may be. Anyone who follows the foreign press can sense that. We don't yet.

We are told that the media campaign is successful this time. But it is a short-term victory even if it is real. The main point of strength in the global campaign is the diplomatic side, with Israel succeeding to bring the Western governments to its side in the fight against Hamas terrorism. However, in the media itself the pictures speak and there we are losing.

When the gates of hell open to the press and the cameras, and everyone agrees that Gaza is hell, a strong debate will begin where on the one hand the Israeli TV networks and their liberal announcers and proponents of the "how did that make you feel? Tell me exactly" genre, will be presented with the severe images from Gaza, the civilians, women and children of war. We will have to face them and decide how we are treating them. Can the Gazan "war of no choice" occur in a democratic Israeli society? Maybe we should wage it but not show ourselves the results of our campaign?

The shockwave is on the way. Like a tsunami after an earthquake on the other side of the ocean, making its way with tremendous invisible force under the waves, until it crashes on the shore of the island and smashes anything on its path, so is the media shock that has set out long ago and will surely arrive. Meanwhile we are not aware of its existence.

That shockwave is among other things going to determine the results of the next elections. We will know about its arrival as soon as the gates of Gaza open to the press.