Israel's top court postpones petition demanding media access to Gaza

Israel's top court postpones petition demanding media access to Gaza

Israel's Supreme Court on Thursday pushed back the hearing of a petition filed by an organisation representing international media outlets in Israel and the Palestinian territories, demanding independent access for journalists to Gaza.

Since the Gaza war began in October 2023, Israeli authorities have prevented foreign journalists from entering the devastated territory, taking only a handful of reporters inside on tightly controlled visits alongside its troops.

On Thursday, Israel's top court began the hearing of a petition filed by the Foreign Press Association (FPA) seeking access to Gaza.

The State Attorney acknowledged "the situation has changed" and requested a further 30 days to examine the circumstances. No date has been set for the next hearing.

What did the FPA chairperson say?

Ahead of the hearing, FPA chairperson Tania Kraemer said: “We've been waiting really long for this day. We are saying that we hope to get into Gaza, that they open Gaza after this long blockade, and we are hoping to get in there to work alongside our Palestinian colleagues.”

The FPA, which represents hundreds of foreign journalists, began petitioning for independent access to Gaza soon after the war broke out in October 2023 following Hamas's attack on Israel.

But these demands have been repeatedly ignored by Israeli authorities.

An AFP journalist sits on the FPA's board of directors.

"We have a right to inform the public, the people of the world, the Israeli public, the Palestinian population," Nicolas Rouget, an FPA board member, said outside the courtroom ahead of the hearing.

"We feel we must stand by them, by our Palestinian colleagues in Gaza, who have been the only ones able to inform the public about this conflict over the last two years," he added.

Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has joined the petition filed by the FPA.

While Israel has prevented foreign reporters from entering Gaza, its forces have killed more than 210 Palestinian journalists in the territory, Antoine Bernard, RSF's director for advocacy and assistance, said on Tuesday.

"The result is an unprecedented violation of press freedom and the public's right to reliable, independent, and pluralistic media reporting," Bernard said.

"The Supreme Court has the opportunity to finally uphold basic democratic principles in the face of widespread propaganda, disinformation, and censorship, and to end two years of meticulous and unrestrained destruction of journalism in and about Gaza.

"No excuse, no restriction can justify not opening Gaza to international, Israeli and Palestinian media," he said.

On October 10, Israel declared a ceasefire and started pulling back troops from some areas of the territory, as part of US President Donald Trump's 20-point plan to end the war.

Source: LiveMint
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