The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has reaffirmed its commitment to defend the
interests of journalists in Palestine and Israel in response to concerns expressed by its
affiliate the National Federation of Israeli Journalists (NFIJ) that recent actions in
carrying out a mission to Gaza and IFJ
statements over the crisis have not adequately taken account of the views of
journalists in Israel.
The IFJ says that the emergency mission to Gaza was primarily focused
on the conditions and circumstances of Palestinian journalists and media and
was not designed or intended to examine the situation in Israeli journalism.
The IFJ recognises that Israeli journalists have
sought to report the crisis fairly under difficult conditions - they, too, were
victims of the media blockade imposed by Israel
which restricted foreign media access to Gaza
during the conflict. The actions of the Jerusalem-based Foreign Press
Association which successfully challenged this blockade in the Israeli courts
were also supported by many journalists in Israel.
The IFJ, says General Secretary Aidan White, "Staunchly
defends the role of its affiliate in Israel as an independent voice of
professional journalists in Israeli society and has publicly and robustly
repudiated attempt in some quarters to link the NFIJ with the actions of the
Israeli government."
The IFJ remains committed to building working links
between journalists in Israel
and Palestine
in defence of free and independent journalism and will continue to oppose and condemn
military strikes against unarmed media installations, regardless of who carries
them out. It will challenge all groups, whether in Gaza
and the West Bank and in Israel
itself, when they intimidate or threaten journalists.
The IFJ pledges to continue to speak out for respect
for international law, to defend the right of journalist to work freely and try
to build structures for dialogue to ensure that all opinions are heard. It will
continue to work with journalists in Israel
and Palestine
in this endeavour.
For more
information contact the IFJ at
+32 2 235 2207
The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 123 countries worldwide