IOF attack journalists in Jenin to keep crimes under covers

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen & Agencies
3 Jul 2023 18:57

The Journalists Support Committee and the Palestinian Media Forum condemn the Israeli occupation's offenses against journalists in light of the ongoing confrontations in Jenin.

A convoy of army vehicles is seen during an Israeli occupation raid on the militant stronghold of the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, occupied Palestine, July 3, 2023 (AP)

The Journalists Support Committee (JSC) on Monday strongly condemned the Israeli occupation forces for opening fire at journalists and press crews in Jenin and at the Jenin refugee camp during their coverage of the crimes being committed by the IOF.

The JSC underlined that a large number of journalists miraculously survived as IOF snipers were heavily deployed in the area, and they opened fire at them, though this caused material damages to the press crews' equipment and cameras, in clear violation and undermining of humanitarian law, including the fourth Genea Convention relative to the protection of civilian persons in time of war of 1949.

The committee stated that the deliberate shooting of fellow journalists in Jenin and the damages dealt to their press equipment violate all international conventions and norms that guarantee freedom of movement and coverage for press crews.

The occupation forces seek to censor the Palestinian narrative and hide their own crimes from the international community. They still besiege journalists and obstruct their work when it comes to covering the crimes being committed against civilians as part of the Israeli raids on the city, which have led to the death of about nine Palestinians so far and the injury of others.

The Committee called upon all international and Arab institutions and federations dealing with freedom of opinion and expression to pressure the Israeli occupation and halt all attacks against press crews in the Palestinian territories, particularly in light of the escalation of attacks and the deliberate targeting of press crews.

Since the start of the year, there have been more than 64 reported cases of deliberate attacks on journalists, the committee revealed.

Moreover, the Palestinian Media Forum condemned the Israeli occupation forces' attacks on journalists, which obstructed their work, especially when they opened fire at them and holed them up in a house in Jenin, including Amid Shahadeh, Rabih Al-Mounir, Hisham Abu Shakra, Abdulrahman Younis, and Issam Rimawi.

The International Federation of Journalists, the Arab Federation of Journalists, and Reporters Without Borders called on the competent authorities to reign in the Israeli occupation and stop it from undermining the freedom of the press and targeting journalists without any justification.

The Palestinian Media Forum lauded the determination and eagerness of the Palestinian press to expose the crimes of the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people. It also called on the Arab and international media to intensify their coverage of the Israeli aggression on the city of Jenin, its refugee camp, the occupied city of Al-Quds, and its holy Al-Aqsa mosque, and to demonstrate the oppression of the Palestinian people to the entire world.

In the early hours of Monday, the Israeli occupation army announced the launching of a large-scale military operation targeting the city of Jenin and its refugee camp, north of the occupied West Bank.

Israeli Army Radio said the decision was made in order to "subvert Jenin's armed infrastructure and detain its elements," with Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper citing the same objective.

Israeli media reported that Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is receiving urgent reports on the "operation" and that the aggression is being led by the commander of the West Bank Brigade in the occupation army, Avi Blut.

According to a number of Israeli media outlets, the decision was made to begin the aggression on the city of Jenin and its refugee camp following the Palestinian Resistance's use of explosives during the last IOF aggression on the city, on June 19.

The occupation's Walla! news website noted that in the past months, "the Israeli security and military establishment's focus on Jenin increased," as its presence around it was recently reinforced with additional brigades.

In response to the ongoing Israeli aggression against Jenin and its refugee camp, the Palestinian Presidency considered that the Israeli occupation forces' assault on the city is yet another war crime against the Palestinian people.

The spokesperson for the Palestinian presidency, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, stressed in a statement that "what the Israeli occupation government is doing in the city of Jenin and its camp is a new war crime against our defenseless people."

Abu Rudeineh underlined that the Palestinian people will not surrender or raise the white flag, and "will remain steadfast on their land in the face of this brutal aggression until the occupation is defeated and freedom is achieved."