Ramallah /PNN/
The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) condemns the suppression and attacks that Jerusalem journalists were subjected to yesterday, Thursday, 18th May 2023, to cover up the ongoing assaults on its residents.
The Israeli occupation police intensified their repressive measures yesterday hindering the work of media crews and journalists who were present to cover what is known as the "Flag March" which began its activities in the morning. The streets were closed, and all citizens were subjected to attacks by settlers.
The occupation police targeted journalists and obstructed their work, while allowing settlers to unleash various forms of attacks and racist practices against both citizens and journalists, preventing them from documenting the assaults on residents and conveying the situation to the world. What is even worse is that all these racist practices and attacks committed by settlers against journalists were carried out in the presence of the police and with their protection.
The attacks by the police and settlers also targeted a number of media crews, such as the CNN crew, in addition to assaulting several journalists, including: photojournalist Wahbi Makia, journalist Mustafa Al-Kharouf, journalist Latifa Abdel Latif, photojournalist Ali Duwani, journalist Yahya Abu Zneid, and journalist Diaa Haj Yahya, who were hit with stones on their heads among others.
MADA strongly condemns these attacks on journalists and media freedoms and reiterates its call to the international community, especially the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression at the United Nations, to take urgent action to secure protection for Palestinian journalists and media outlets from the Israeli authorities and settlers. The article 79 of the Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions of 1949, which protects civilians during armed conflicts, stipulates that "civilian journalists performing their duties in areas of armed conflict must be respected and treated as civilians and protected from any deliberate attack provided they do not engage in acts contrary to their status as civilians."
