Egyptian and Palestinian journalists attend a vigil for Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza. File
| Photo Credit: Getty Images
Some 60 media and rights organisations on Monday (August 26, 2024) urged the European Union (EU) to suspend a cooperation accord with Israel and impose sanctions, accusing it of โmassacring journalistsโ in Gaza.
โIn response to the unprecedented number of journalists killed and other repeated press freedom violations by the Israeli authorities since the start of the war with Hamas, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and 59 other organisations are calling on the European Union to suspend its Association Agreement with Israel and to adopt targeted sanctions against those responsibleโ, the groups said in a joint statement.
The call came ahead of a meeting by EU foreign ministers in Brussels on August 29.
The period following Hamasโ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 and Israelโs devastating retaliatory assault on the Gaza Strip โhas been the deadliest for journalists in decadesโ, the letter said.
โMore 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 periodโ, it says.
โThe targeted or indiscriminate killing of journalists, whether committed deliberately or recklessly, is a war crimeโ, it said.
EUโs association agreements with non-member countries are treaties that govern bilateral relations, including trade.
The agreementโs Article 2 stipulates โrespect for human rights and democratic principlesโ, said Julie Majerczak, the head of RSFโs Brussels office.
โThe Israeli government is clearly trampling on this article. The EU, which is Israelโs leading trade partner, must draw the necessary conclusions from this and must do everything to ensure that the (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu government stops massacring journalists and respects the right to information and press freedom by opening media access to Gaza,โ she said.
Among the signatories were the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Human Rights Watch (HRW).
