Journalists Demand Blinken Back Israel Arms Embargo

August 15, 2024

Today, 113 journalists, 7 press freedom groups and 20 news outlets accused the U.S. secretary of state of being “complicit in one of the gravest affronts to press freedom today” in Gaza.

U.S. State Dept. building,. Washington (State Dept./Wikimedia Commons)

The following letter was delivered to the State Department on Thursday morning with a request to meet with the Secretary of State

 

 

 

 

August 15, 2024 

 

Dear Secretary Blinken, 

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed more than 160 Palestinian journalists. This is the  largest recorded number of journalists killed in any war. While Israel’s indiscriminate bombing  of the densely populated Gaza means no civilians are safe, Israel has also been repeatedly  documented deliberately targeting journalists.  

Israel’s military actions are not possible without U.S. weapons, U.S. military aid, and U.S.  diplomatic support. By providing the weapons being used to deliberately kill journalists, you are complicit in one of the gravest affronts to press freedom today.  

On World Press Freedom Day this year, you called on “every nation to do more to protect  journalists,” and reiterated your “unwavering support for free and independent media around  the world.” 

As journalists, publications and press freedom groups in solidarity with the courageous Palestinian journalists of Gaza, we call on you to do more to protect journalists and show unwavering support for free and independent media by supporting an arms embargo against  Israel.  

Israel has gone to great lengths to suppress media coverage of its war in Gaza, imposing  military censorship on both its own journalists and international reporters operating in the  country; and, with Egypt’s help, blocking all foreign journalists from Gaza.

Israel shut down Al Jazeera, raided its office, seized its equipment, and blocked its broadcasts and website within  Israel. The world relies only on the Palestinian journalists in Gaza to report the truth about the  war and Israel’s widespread violations of international law.1 

Israel’s deliberate targeting of these journalists seems intended to impose a near blackout  on coverage of its assault on Gaza. Investigations by United Nations bodies, NGOs, and  media organizations, have all found instances of deliberate targeting of journalists.2 

In a joint statement, five U.N. special rapporteurs declared:  

“We have received disturbing reports that, despite being clearly identifiable in jackets  and helmets marked “press” or traveling in well-marked press vehicles, journalists have  come under attack, which would seem to indicate that the killings, injury, and detention  are a deliberate strategy by Israeli forces to obstruct the media and silence critical  reporting.”3 

Israel has also killed journalists during the war outside of Gaza, such as on October 13, 2023  when an Israeli tank fired across the Lebanese border at clearly identified press, killing a  Reuters reporter and injuring six other journalists.4  

Under international law, the intentional targeting of journalists is a war crime.5 While all  governments are bound by international law protecting reporters, U.S. domestic law also  prohibits the State Department from providing assistance to units of foreign security forces  credibly accused of gross violations of human rights.6 Israel’s well-documented pattern of  extrajudicial executions of journalists is a gross violation of human rights. 

Additionally, the First Amendment of the United States Constitution protects the American  people’s right to receive information and ideas.7 Israel’s deliberate targeting of journalists  follows a longstanding pattern by the Israeli government to suppress truthful reporting on its  treatment of Palestinians and its war in Gaza. By providing Israel with the weapons used to kill  journalists, the State Department is abetting Israel’s violent suppression of journalism.  

The U.S. is providing the weapons Israel continually uses to target Palestinian journalists  in Gaza. This is a violation of International law and U.S. domestic law. We urge you to  immediately cease the transfer of all weapons to Israel. 

Signed,  

113 journalists 

20 news outlets 

7 press freedom organizations 

Journalists 

Abby Martin, The Empire Files 

Adam H. Johnson 

Aída Chávez 

Akayla Galloway, The Social Justice Center 

Alex Han, In These Times  

Alex Press, Jacobin 

Ameen Izzadeen, The Sunday Times, Colombo 

Amy K. Sater 

Andy Lee Roth 

April Alonso, Cicero Independiente 

Arun Gupta 

Azad Essa, Middle East Eye 

Ben Burgis, Jacobin  

Branko Marcetic, Jacobin 

Britney Schultz, Truthout 

Brittany M. Brown 

Cathy Vogan, Consortium News 

Charles Glass, Former ABC News Chief Mideast Correspondent 

Chip Gibbons, Defending Rights & Dissent 

Chris Hedges 

Cody Bloomfield 

Dahr Jamail, Independent Journalist 

Dan Sheehan 

Daniel Denvir, Host of The Dig podcast 

Daniel Larison 

Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com 

Dave Reed, Mondoweiss 

David Lindorff, Independent journaliist, 54 years in the profession

David Pierce Griscom, Left Reckoning 

David Swanson, World BEYOND War 

David Zirin, The Nation Magazine 

Dennis J. Bernstein, KPFA/PACIFICA RADIO/FLASHPOINTS 

Doug Henwood, KFPA radio 

Dr. Maha Hilal, Muslim Counterpublics Lab 

Eleanor Goldfield 

Eli Clifton 

Erik Baker, Associate editor, The Drift 

Frances Madeson, Member of National Writers Union 

Gareth Porter, Independent Journalist 

Gunar Olsen 

Irene Romulo 

Jack McGrath, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs  

Jack Mirkinson 

Jake Romm, Protean Magazine 

James Bamford, Author and Contributing Writer at The Nation

James Fox, Airmail News 

Jeff Cohen, Founding Director of Park Center for Independent Media at Ithaca College

Jeffrey St. Clair, CounterPunch

Jen Deerinwater, Crushing Colonialism 

Jim Lafferty, Host, Public affairs show Law and Disorder

Joe Lauria, Consortium News 

Joel Whitney 

John Hanrahan 

Jonathan Cook 

Joshua Frank, CounterPunch 

Ju-Hyun Park, The Real News 

Kai Bird 

Kelley B. Vlahos, Responsible Statecraft 

Kevin Gosztola 

Kristinn Hrafnsson, WikiLeaks 

Lara Witt 

Laura Poitras 

Lena 

Lidia Alvarez 

Liza Featherstone 

Loretta Graceffo, Truthout 

Luke O’Neil, Welcome to Hell World 

Luke Savage, Columnist, Jacobin  

Malcolm Harris 

Marjorie Cohn, Truthout 

Matt Kennard, Declassified UK 

Maureen Clare Murphy, The Electronic Intifada

Maximillian Alvarez, The Real News Network

Maya Schenwar, Truthout 

Meagan Day, Jacobin  

Micah Uetricht 

Michael Arria, Mondoweiss 

Mickey Huff, Director, Project Censored 

Natasha Lennard 

Nathan Fuller, Courage Foundation 

Nathan J. Robinson, Current Affairs 

Nathan Tankus 

Nausicaa Renner, Drop Site News 

Negin Owliaei, Truthout  

Nick French, Jacobin 

Nima Shirazi, Citations Needed 

Noah Kulwin 

Norman Solomon 

Philip Weiss, Mondoweiss 

Richard Silverstein, Tikun Olam 

Robert Scheer, University of Southern California 

Roberto Savio, Othernews 

Rosette Sewali 

Rune Ottosen, PEN Norway 

Ryan Grim, Drop Site News 

Sam Carliner 

Sam Sacks, Means TV – MMN 

Samantha Borek, Truthout 

Sarah Lazare 

Séamus Malekafzali, Freelance 

Seraj Assi, Jacobin  

Seth Ackerman, Editor at Large, Jacobin 

Shaheryra Mirza, Middle East Eye 

Sharon Zhang, Truthout 

Skip Kaltenheuser, Have Pen Will Travel, freelance based in DC

Spencer J. Ackerman 

Stefania Maurizi, Investigative Journalist, Il Fatto Quotidiano

Tareq S Hajjaj, Mondoweiss  

Tim Shorrock, Independent writer 

Tony Sutton, ColdType 

Umar Farooq 

Y.L. al-Sheikh

Press Freedom Organizations 

Courage Foundation 

Defending Rights & Dissent 

FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting) 

Freedom of the Press Foundation 

Project Censored  

RootsAction 

Whistleblower & Source Protection Program (WHISPeR) at ExposeFacts

News Outlets 

Antiwar.com 

Cicero Independiente 

Citations Needed 

ColdType 

Consortium News 

CounterPunch 

Crushing Colonialism  

Current Affairs 

Drop Site News 

Law and Disorder 

In These Times  

Middle East Eye 

Mondoweiss 

Othernews 

Progressive Hub 

The Real News Network 

Tikun Olam 

Truthout  

Washington Report on Middle East Affairs  

Welcome to Hell World

NOTES

1 “Israel bans Al Jazeera: What does it mean and what happens next?,” Al Jazeera (May 6, 2024). Available at  https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/6/israel-bans-al-jazeera-what-does-it-mean-and-what-happens-next 2 E.g. “Gaza: UN experts condemn killing and silencing of journalists,” United Nations (February 2, 2024).  Available at https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/02/gaza-un-experts-condemn-killing-and-silenc ing-journalists “Israel: Strikes on Journalists in Lebanon Apparently Deliberate,” Human Rights Watch, (December  7, 2023). Available at https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/12/07/israel-strikes-journalists-lebanon-apparently-delib erate  

2 “Journalist casualties in the Israel-Gaza war,” Committee to Project Journalists. Available at https://cpj. org/2024/07/journalist-casualties-in-the-israel-gaza-conflict/. “Israeli tank fire killed Reuters journalist Issam  Abdallah in Lebanon,” Reuters (December 7, 2023). Available at https://www.reuters.com/graphics/ISRAEL-LEB ANON/JOURNALIST/akveabxrzvr/index.html

3 “Gaza: UN experts condemn killing and silencing of journalists,” United Nations (February 2, 2024).  Available at https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/02/gaza-un-experts-condemn-killing-and silencing-journalists 

4 “Israeli strike killed ‘clearly identifiable’ reporter in Lebanon: UN probe,” Al Jazeer (March 14, 2024).  Available at https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/14/israeli-strike-killed-clearly-identifiable-reporter-in lebanon-un-probe 

5 Article 79 of Additional Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions states “Journalists engaged in dangerous  professional missions in areas of armed conflict shall be considered as civilians” 

6 22 U.S. Code § 2378d 

7 Stanley v. Georgia, 394 U.S. 557 (1969) 

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