A government of Israel that expected the international press to report what happened, instead of falling into the first fax from the Palestinian newsdesk, would be ignoring reality. Jenin comes to mind: if it doesn't matter what the Israelis do, given that the press will report according to their preconcieved story line, they have license to do as they will. They pick a humane response, which is costly to them, not because anyone in the press will notice it, but because it reflects their values. And get criticized for it. Check out this article.