The International Federation of Journalists, the world’s largest journalists’ group, today issued a strong statement condemning attacks on journalists and media staff in Palestine.

In a declaration issued from Sydney, Australia, where the IFJ’s international Executive Committee was meeting, the IFJ said that the recent outbreak of violence in the Middle East has “led to widespread abuse of human rights, indiscriminate killing and numerous acts of brutality against journalists and media staff.”

The IFJ has called on all sides in the conflict to stop manipulating media to suit their own political interests.

The declaration continues: “The IFJ condemns all forms of pressure on journalists, which make it impossible for media to work professionally and which severely compromise the physical safety of staff.

“The IFJ repudiates attempts to intimidate and to manipulate media by all sides in the conflict as wholly unjustified assaults on press freedom.”

Targeting of media by one side or another has particularly incensed journalists. The IFJ attacked, in particular, military action against media installations by Israel.

The IFJ said: “We note that this has been done citing the precedent of the NATO bombing of Television Serbia in April 1999, itself a violation of international law. The IFJ does not accept that allegations of propaganda against one side or another justify the use of military force against media organisations or media staff.”

According to reports from the region, up to 30 journalists and media staff have been hurt in recent clashes and some have suffered serious injuries. One journalist has died as a result of his injuries. The IFJ is to organise an international appeal among its member organisations to raise funds to help the victims of violence.

The IFJ has also agreed to send a top-level mission to the region in the coming weeks to draw attention to the problems facing journalists.

The IFJ represents more than 450,000 journalists in 100 countries.

IFJ Executive Committee Meeting
Sydney, December 8-9, 2000

IFJ Statement on Situation in the Middle East

The Executive Committee of the IFJ, meeting in Sydney on December 8-9th 2000, deplores the recent outbreak of violence in the Middle East which has led to widespread abuse of human rights, indiscriminate killing and numerous acts of brutality against journalists and media staff.

The IFJ condemns all forms of pressure on journalists, which make it impossible for media to work professionally and which severely compromise the physical safety of staff.

The IFJ Executive Committee further condemns the military targeting of Palestinian media by Israeli forces and notes that this has been done citing the precedent of the NATO bombing of Television Serbia in April 1999, itself a violation of international law.

The IFJ does not accept that allegations of propaganda against one side or another justify the use of military force against media organisations or media staff.

The IFJ repudiates attempts to intimidate and to manipulate media by all sides in the conflict as wholly unjustified assaults on press freedom.

The IFJ expresses its full solidarity with the members of its affiliates and other media workers who have been the victims of violence and who face daily discrimination at the hands of the authorities.

The IFJ Executive Committee agrees:

1. To launch an international solidarity appeal to provide urgent help and assistance to journalists and media staff and their families who are the victims of violence and to make the Safety Fund available;

2. To reinforce calls for international action by stressing the need for all sides to respect the Geneva Conventions and protocols that prohibit targeting of media and journalists;

3. To demand that media organisations and all sides in the conflict respect the IFJ Code of Practice for the Safe Conduct of Journalists;

4. To send an urgent mission to the region in consultation with our affiliates in Israel and Palestine to express solidarity with media staff and to examine what else can be done to protect journalists.

IFJ, International Press Center, Residence Palace 155, Rue de la Loi - Bloc C, B-1040 Brussels, Belgium, tel: +322 235 2200 or +322 235 22 01, fax: +322 235 22 19, e-mail: safety@ifj.org, Internet: www.ifj.org