Farkhund Yousafzai
Washington, 16 August 2024 (TDI): Over 100 journalists have sent a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging the Joe Biden administration to impose an arms embargo on Israel, in response to what they view as the continued attacks on Palestinian reporters in Gaza.
The letter, signed by 113 journalists, 7 press freedom organizations, and 20 news outlets, accuses the United States of complicity in Israel’s actions due to its unwavering support for Tel Aviv.
“Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed over 160 Palestinian journalists. This is the largest recorded number of journalists killed in any war”, they said.
“While Israel’s indiscriminate bombing of the densely populated Gaza Strip means no civilians are safe, it has also repeatedly documented deliberately targeting media persons, the letter said.
“Israel’s military actions are not possible without US weapons, US military assistance, and Washington’s diplomatic support. By providing the weapons being used to deliberately kill journalists, you are complicit in one of the very serious affronts to media freedom today,” the letter added.
It also accused Israel of suppressing media coverage of its actions in Gaza.
A group of more than 100 journalists, news outlets and press freedom organizations have urged the US government to “immediately cease” the transfer of all weapons to Israel.
“More than 160 journalists” have been killed by Israel since it launched its war on Gaza last October,… pic.twitter.com/AhqPdDdlSp
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) August 16, 2024
These efforts include internet outages, military censorship imposed on both domestic and foreign journalists, barring international reporters from entering Gaza, and banning Al Jazeera from the country under the pretext of national security.
Israel’s deliberate targeting of journalists follows a longstanding pattern by its government to suppress truthful and unbiased reporting on its treatment of Palestinians and its war in Gaza, the letter maintained.
The appeal highlights the seriousness of Israel’s actions against journalists, which have been widely documented long before the current conflict started on October 7.
It emphasizes that targeting journalists is a war crime under international law. And notes that US law prohibits aiding foreign troops involved in human rights violations, pointing to Israel’s record of extrajudicial killings of journalists as a clear breach.
This appeal is the latest in a series of largely ignored demands for action.
In April, over two dozen Palestinian journalists urged US journalists to boycott the annual White House correspondents’ dinner.
In July, more than 60 organizations demanded that Israeli authorities allow free and unrestricted media access to Gaza, citing the untenable and unreasonable burden placed on local journalists to document events.
