Source Note #2
Summary: A timeline of the most recent clash between Israel and the Gaza Strip details the events leading up to the attacks, notes of the subsequent rocket launches and invasions, and the ceasefire brokered in January.
Topic: Should the Obama administration support the defense of Israel?
Category: Mainstream journalistic
What is it? A timeline from the Al Jazeera English website.
Title: Timeline: Gaza Crisis
Publication Information: Al Jazeera English: Jan. 18, 2008
Author: No author listed
Location: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/01/200917205418665491.html
Accessed: January 29, 2008
Support: Khaled Meshaal, Hamas leader
Tzipi Livni, Israeli foreign minister
The European Union
UN Security Council
Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, president of the UN General Assembly
The UN’s aid agency in Gaza
Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish prime minister
Chris Gunness, a UN spokesman
Ahmed Abul Gheit, Egyptian foreign minister
Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister
Palestinian factions Hamas, Islamic Jihad, al-Nidal, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and al-Saeqa
The Israeli military
Amnesty International
All the above sources are quoted in the timeline dictating their intentions and what actions they, their country, or their organization will take in the crisis. In some cases, the sources gave an opinion.
Source Analysis:
Al Jazeera English claims it is “the world’s first global English language news channel to be headquartered in the Middle East” and aims to be the point of reference for English speakers seeking to learn more about events in the Middle East. Headquartered in Doha, Qatar, Al Jazeera English aims to be “accurate, impartial and objective .” The 24-hour news channel is available to over 130 million homes in over 100 countries, but is only available in the United States in Burlington, VT; Toledo, OH; and Washington, DC.
Usefulness:
This timeline attempts to report a complicated situation in a way that will make it more easily understood by the English speaking public from a perspective with more accessibility and understanding than a western news channel. While it should remain objective as a news story, it may leave out pertinent information, as alleged in the comments, and conflicting news stories exist.
Works cited:
Timeline: Gaza Crisis
Al Jazeera English: About Us
Al Jazeera Provides an Inside Look at Gaza Crisis
Israel Braced for Hamas Response
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