Why are we allowing foreign press into Gaza?

Seriously, I'm confused.  This is an easy call... a slam dunk:  "No, you can't go into Gaza looking for [probably staged] grisly photos of dead and wounded civilians.  Why?  Because we said so!"

Not good enough?  Here are a few reasons you can take back to your bureau chiefs:

1.  You didn't send your reporters to hang out in Sderot and the other Gaza-belt Israeli communities to get a first-hand look at the human side of our suffering, so your sudden interest in having a press-presence in Gaza is just a tad transparent, don't you think?

2.  Whether you want to admit it or not, your reporters are going to either act as human shields (meaning they'll inhibit our ability to act freely when they are near a target), or they are going to get their foolish asses killed (making us look even worse than you've already made us out to be). 

3.  The Palestinians have demonstrated their willingness to play to the cameras during two Intifadas.  Your presence has a tendency to get young, bored, otherwise-non-political Palis out onto the streets and into violent confrontations with our troops.  So far we've been able to limit our attacks to Hamas leaders and combatants.  But once your camera crews draw out the idle young mobs, the casualty figures will shoot through the roof.  And that will end up being your story.  Reporters are supposed to report the news... not manufacture it.

4.  You have demonstrated that you have no contextual or historical background for covering this conflict.  You have also made it clear you have no desire to acquire either.  You will inevitably send in 'journalists' who don't know the geography, language, culture or history of either side in this conflict, forcing them to rely on unreliable (and biased) local sources and 'fixers' to supply the meat of their stories.  There are already Palestinian journalists inside Gaza.  Your stories are going to end up echoing their propaganda, so why not just take their feed?

5.  We have been working very hard to keep weapons out of Gaza (unsuccessfully, it turns out.  Thanks a lot, Egypt!).  Why on earth would we allow one of the Palestinian's most potent weapons - a fawning foreign press - into the war zone?  Do you think we're really that stupid?  Well, maybe we are.

It turns out the Israeli Supreme Court just approved a petition that will allow a pool of foreign journalists into Gaza. 

[~slaps forehead in frustration~]

 In Lebanon we had to fight a war on two fronts; on the battlefield against an illegitimate terrorist army, and in the media against foreign dupes who printed whatever this illegitimate terrorist army told them/allowed them to see.

We couldn't do anything about that becasue we didn't control the battlefield.  But in Gaza we do. 

Apparently we will never learn.