Fri 28 May 2021:
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on Thursday demanded urgent action from the Israeli authorities to investigate cases of harassment of Israeli-Palestinian journalists and ensure a safe space for all media staffers to carry out their duties without being targeted.
In the heat of the armed conflicts between Israel and Palestine’s Hamas, the Israeli-Palestinian journalists have been attacked and harassed while covering demonstrations and clashes in Israel.
“The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) calls on the Israeli authorities to investigate every incident to make sure all journalists can carry out their duties without being targeted or harassed,” the organization said.
According to IFJ, citing the Ilam-Arab Center for Media Freedom, Israeli security forces are liable for most of the assaults against journalists and media practitioners who were reporting civilian protests in the last few weeks in Arab Israeli cities, including Jerusalem, despite their identification as media staff.
Thirteen cases of journalist assaults were recorded, eleven of which were committed by Israeli security forces, one by Israeli Jewish mob, and one through shrapnel from a rocket launched by Hamas while covering the news near the southern city of Ashkelon.
The purpose of attacking journalists was to “eradicate journalists and prevent the media from reporting on the events to provide the official Israeli narrative with legitimacy and credibility in front of the world,” IFJ believes.
While condemning these attacks on journalists, the General Secretary of the organization, Anthony Bellanger, urged the Israeli authorities to investigate the cases, punish the culprits and listen to the yearnings of Israeli Palestinian journalists so as to ensure their safety at work and prevent future attacks.
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