UK Thinktank Fellow Suggests Israel Should Target More Journalists

A fellow at a prominent conservative think tank and frequent media commentator on Gaza has suggested Israel should target more journalists.

Andrew Fox, a research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society (HJS) and a retired army major, published a long post on X/Twitter shortly after Israel killed Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif, entitled: “When does a journalist become a legitimate military target? Maybe not often enough.”

In his post, Fox argued that al-Sharif was a legitimate target not only because he was “an active member of Hamas’s [military wing, the] Al-Qassam Brigades” – a claim originating in the Israeli government and for which no credible evidence exists – but “because he was an Al Jazeera journalist”.

This week Israel killed five journalists, including Al Jazeera photojournalist Mohammad Salam, in a “double-tap” attack on Nasser hospital in southern Gaza, bombing the hospital a second time shortly after rescue crews and reporters arrived.

The attack brought the total number of journalists Israel has killed since 7 October 2023 to at least 242, according to the UN – almost 70% of journalists killed in all conflict zones in the world in that time period.

In his X/Twitter post, Fox wrote that while “legitimate, good-faith journalists should never be military targets”, Al Jazeera was “not a neutral observer” and could be understood as “actively participating” in hostilities.

“A clear causal link exists between narrative shaping and operational constraints. This is well-documented and observable,” Fox wrote. “Additionally, there is a belligerent nexus as their editorial stance explicitly aligns with Hamas’s strategic objectives and Qatar’s geopolitical interests.”

Therefore, Fox wrote, “the IDF is within its legal rights under LOAC [the law of armed conflict] to treat Al Jazeera’s Gaza-based personnel, facilities, and transmission infrastructure as legitimate military objectives”.

Asked by Novara Media how Al Jazeera’s reporting had directly operationally constrained the IDF’s operations, Fox would not elaborate.

Several Israeli outlets – in particular Channel 14, of which prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is an avid supporter – have been accused of inciting the IDF’s actions in Gaza. Asked whether he would consider such journalists legitimate military targets of Hamas, Fox did not respond.

“Andrew Fox[’s] comments calling for and cheering on the targeted killing of our journalist colleagues, even as they continue to report the horrific situation in Gaza, is reprehensible,” said Pennie Quinton, chair of the London Freelance Branch of the National Union of Journalists, which represents over 3,000 journalists, and has today organised a vigil for Gazan journalists. “I can only condemn his violent and defamatory language smearing my courageous colleagues who, as civilians and journalists, must be protected.”

HJS was formed in 2005 and named after Henry Jackson, the Democratic representative and later senator known for his hawkish tendencies, including support for the Vietnam war and for Israel (though Israel was a cause Jackson only supported late in his career, largely as a Cold War proxy).

Chaired by former Conservative justice secretary Sir Brandon Lewis, HJS describes itself as “a think tank and policy-shaping force that fights for the principles and alliances which keep societies free [and] work[s] across borders and party lines to combat extremism, advance democracy and real human rights”. Yet while nominally bipartisan, in practice the organisation has drifted towards an increasingly narrow and extreme brand of neoconservatism, particularly under the executive directorship of Alan Mendoza since 2006.

Under Mendoza’s leadership, HJS’s support for Israel has hardened. In 2011, the thinktank absorbed several staff members from the pro-Israel media watchdog Just Journalism. The same year, HJS merged with the Centre for Social Cohesion, absorbing then-director Douglas Murray, whose joining reportedly prompted one HJS staff member to be “driven out” of the organisation due to his opposition to Murray’s Islamophobia.

In 2013, Mendoza addressed the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or Aipac, in Washington, noting with concern the growth of Europe’s Muslim population.

Much of Fox’s output as a research fellow has been focused on Israel. In May this year, he co-authored a report outlining “Hamas’s human shield strategy in Gaza”. In December, he authored a report querying the Gazan death toll.

HJS’s outspoken support for Israel has more recently earned it praise from the Israeli government. In May this year, Israel repeatedly cited an HJS report on UNRWA to justify its decision to cut ties with the organisation.

Asked whether Fox’s comments on the legitimacy of journalists as military targets are consistent with HJS’s stated commitment to “modern liberal democracy”, the organisation did not respond. Neither Mendoza nor HJS’s director of communications and policy responded to Novara Media’s requests for comment.