Fourth Estate

All eyes are again firmly on Gaza this week as the enclave faces mass starvation that human rights groups and aid organisations have been loudly warning of for months. Media outlets that seemed to previously play down the plight of Palestinians, and the actions of the Israeli government have flooded their front pages with graphic images of emaciated, disease ridden children, accompanied by headlines like “Stop This Now.” The UK and France have flagged their intention to recognise Palestine as a state, and the Australian government has accused Israel of breaching international law. So how seismic really is this apparent change in tone from our media and our politicians? Former Middle East Correspondent David Leser, himself a Jewish man has penned a powerful column for The Sydney Morning Herald on the moral catastrophe facing his community and political leaders the world over. He spoke with Tina Quinn about whether we actually might be at a tipping point, the plight of journalists reporting in the region