At least 60 media and rights organisations have urged the European Union to suspend a cooperation accord with Israel and impose sanctions on it for “massacring journalists” in Gaza, AFP reported.
A joint statement by the organisations, including the Committee to Protect Journalists and Human Rights Watch, said that more than 130 Palestinian media professionals have been allegedly killed by the Israeli armed forces in Gaza since October 7. It said, “The targeted or indiscriminate killing of journalists, whether committed deliberately or recklessly, is a war crime”.
The statement called on the EU to suspend its Association Agreement with Israel and adopt “targeted sanctions”. The Association Agreement are treaties that govern bilateral relations. The demand has come ahead of the EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels on August 29.
The statement said, “In response to the unprecedented number of journalists killed and other repeated press freedom violations by the Israeli authorities since the start of the war…More than 130 Palestinian journalists and media professionals have been killed by the Israeli armed forces in Gaza since 7 October. At least 30 of them were killed in the course of their work, three Lebanese journalists and an Israeli journalist have also been (killed) during the same period.”
Julie Majerczak, head of RSF’s Brussels office, said that the Association Agreement’s Article 2 stipulates “respect for human rights and democratic principles” and the Israeli government “is clearly trampling on this article”.
Newslaundry has consistently reported on the eroding press freedom in Gaza. Read here.
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