Media & right groups urge Europe to impose sanctions on Israel

Paris: Accusing Israel of massacring journalists in Gaza, a group of 60 media and rights organisations called for the suspension of the European Union’s cooperation with Israel. The group also demanded the EU to impose sanctions on Israel, Agence France-Presse reported.

They issued a joint statement saying that in 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 responsible.

It is when a meeting by the EU foreign minister in Brussels is supposed to happen on August 29, the organisations made the demand. Their statement said that the period following the October 7, 2023 attack by the Hamas and the retaliation by Israel on the Gaza enclave has been the deadliest for journalists in decades.

It continued that more than 130 Palestinian journalists and media professionals have been killed by Israel in Gaza since 7th October. At least 30 of them died during the course of work; three Lebanese journalists and an Israeli journalist have also been (killed) during the same period, it said. The statement claimed that the targeted or indiscriminate killings of journalists, whether committed deliberately or recklessly, is a war crime.

Reporters Without Borders, Brussels head, Julie Majerczak, said that the Israeli government is trampling on Article 2 of the EU association agreements. She added that the EU, which is Israel’s leading trade partner, must withdraw necessary conclusions from this and must do everything to ensure that the Israeli government stops massacring journalists and respects the right to information and press freedom by opening media access to Gaza.