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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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