Universal Studios Says Gaza War Wasn’t A War In Bizarre Insurance Fight
Universal Studios. Image by Pixabay
By Aiden Pink April 26, 2017
Universal Cable Productions, a subsidiary of media conglomerate NBCUniversal, is suing an insurance company for millions of dollars in a case that hinges on whether Operation Protective Edge, the 2014 conflict between Israel and Hamas, was a “war” or merely “terrorism.”
The Universal-owned USA Network was filming a show in Israel in the summer of 2014, but had to move production to New Mexico after the terrorist organization increased its rocket fire, leading to an Israeli ground incursion.
Universal wanted its insurance company, Atlantic Specialty, to cover costs of the move, but Atlantic replied that its “extra expenses” policy did not apply in the case of war. Universal filed suit in July, saying that while the conflict was tragic, it was not a traditional “war” because, among other reasons, Hamas does not control a state.
On Monday, both sides filed summary judgment motions in order to get the court to define what exactly Operation Protective Edge was. Among the pieces of evidence included in their briefs were statements from John Kerry and Hillary Rodham Clinton, a one-page history of Palestinian politics, filings from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and, of course, definitions from the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
Both sides’ court filings can be found here.
Contact Aiden Pink at [email protected] or on Twitter at @aidenpink.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
