I’lam Condemns in Strongest Terms Freedom Flotilla Attack and Demands Lifting of Media Blackout
I’lam Media Center for Arab Palestinians in Israel is shocked to hear about the Israeli Navy attack on the Freedom Flotilla that resulted in the killing of at least 10 humanitarian activists on board on one ship in the convoy on May 31 2010. The Freedom Flotilla was on its way to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, which has been suffering from a crippling blockade by Israel since 2007.
I’lam strongly deplores the act of piracy carried out by Israeli forces and also condemns Israeli media coverage of the issue so far, that has tended to treat it as a public relations scandal without adequately covering the humanitarian crises in Gaza, whose alleviation was the purpose of the Freedom Flotilla initiative.
I’lam calls upon Israeli journalists to deal with the issue professionally and with a commitment to ethics and professional standards that do justice to the victim and distinguishes between the victim and the aggressor.
I’lam also calls for the immediate release of all activists that were arrested and detained and for access to the approximately sixty journalists who were on board so that the world can know of details of the event.
I’lam underlines that journalists have a moral commitment to society to disclose facts and stresses that the lack of communication imposed by the authorities between those detained and the outside world as well as lack of open press access to those on board the Freedom Flotilla are a violation of the international community’s right to know and freedom of the press and freedom of expression.
I'lam cautions the authorities that no harm should come to the journalists as international humanitarian law addresses the protection of journalists as encoded in Article 79 of Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions, which states, "Journalists engaged in dangerous professional missions in areas of armed conflict shall be considered as civilians within the meaning of Article 50, paragraph 1".
In this spirit, we turn to the Israeli Interior Minister and General Headquarters of the Army to release the journalists and to not harm them and to return their confiscated material, recording devices and computers. We further call upon the international community and media and human rights organizations throughout the world to similarly call for a lifting of the media blackout and for images and testimonies from the ship’s passengers to reach the world.
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