Cairo- On Tuesday evening, a solidarity day was held at the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate for the rights of the martyr Tel Aviv Tribune cameraman, Samer Abu Daqqa, who was assassinated by the Israeli occupation forces on Friday in the Gaza Strip, praising the courage of his colleague, the channel’s correspondent, Wael Al Dahdouh.
The day of solidarity with the Palestinian press at the union’s headquarters in central Cairo turned into an occasion to pay tribute to the icons of journalism, especially Abu Daqqa and Al-Dahdouh, and their role in exposing Israel’s crimes, amid talk of a move to launch a treaty that guarantees the safety of journalists during conflicts and wars, according to special statements obtained by Tel Aviv Tribune Net. “.
The day of solidarity with the Palestinian press witnessed broad Egyptian and Palestinian participation, a press conference attended by the head of the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate, Khaled El Balshy, and a symposium entitled “Displacement is a Red Line,” in addition to artistic and singing activities.
Wael Al-Dahdouh was previously nominated on December 17 by the Board of Trustees of the Egyptian Journalism Award, affiliated with the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate, to receive the Egyptian Press Freedom Award.
Persecution of Israel
On the sidelines of the Solidarity Day, the head of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, Nasser Abu Bakr, said in an interview with Tel Aviv Tribune Net, “The martyr Samer Abu Daqqa was an extraordinary photographer and a servant to all journalists,” and explained that “efforts are continuing with the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate and the International Federation of Journalists to prosecute Israel’s leaders before the court.” International Criminal Court,” stressing that the Palestinian union has prepared all the legal files condemning the leaders of the Israeli occupation.
Abu Bakr warned that “what happened with Wael Al-Dahdouh and Samer Abu Daqqa could happen in the coming period, but in a greater way, such as a major massacre against Palestinian journalists.”
In an interview with Tel Aviv Tribune Net, Director of Programs and Policies at the International Federation of Journalists, Mounir Zaarour, said that the International Federation will present in the coming period a new initiative to approve a treaty that guarantees the safety of journalists during conflicts and wars through the United Nations.
He explained that this initiative is receiving support from some countries, expressing his hope that “it will receive support from all countries, so that we preserve speech and its freedom,” appealing to the Egyptian state to participate in signing this agreement.
Zaarour explained that the International Federation is cooperating with the Palestinian and Egyptian unions to ensure the safety of Palestinian journalists, and to prosecute the killers before the International Criminal Court.
They deserve to be honored
The representative of the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate, Mohamed Saad Abdel Hafeez, said in an interview with Tel Aviv Tribune Net, “Al-Dahdouh’s nomination for the Press Freedom Award is a union appreciation for him, and he is considered a model field journalist as he should be.”
He pointed out that “Al-Dahdouh has become a symbol of Arab journalism. He is a bold journalist who returns every time to practice his work, his profession, and his role in conveying the truth, despite the Zionist terrorism and direct targeting that deliberately targeted him, his family, and his co-worker.”
The cousin of the martyr Samer and the leader of the Popular Front, Maryam Abu Daqqa, also told Tel Aviv Tribune Net, “The Palestinian press has become a first authority, not a fourth authority, as it has reached everywhere.”
She added, “What Al-Dahdouh and Samer, and Sherine Abu Aqla before them, did is a living embodiment of the greatness of the journalistic role in the Palestinian liberation battle, and in confronting the Western Zionist media.”
Abu Daqqa confirmed that “this time the Palestinian narrative reached the West, which is controlled by the international coalition supporting Israel. Palestinian journalists proved all the facts with audio and video, and it reached everyone documented in the East and West.”
Abu Daqqa praised Tel Aviv Tribune’s role in covering events in Palestine, saying, “Tel Aviv Tribune presents the truth and the comprehensive picture, and therefore the price was high from Sherine Abu Aqla to Samer Abu Daqqa and then the injury of Wael Al-Dahdouh,” also praising Al-Dahdouh’s honor.
“Historical stage”
Member of the Council of the Journalists Syndicate in Egypt, Mohamed Kharaja, told Tel Aviv Tribune Net, “Al-Dahdouh presents an important image of the heroic journalist, who grasps the truth, and who did not fail to strike in his power in order to defend the Palestinian cause and make its voice heard to everyone.”
Kharaja added, “The Palestinian press is at a historical stage in which it is paying the price for its adherence to the truth in the face of Israeli lies, and its ultimate consequence.”
The head of the Trade Union Performance Committee of the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate, Ali Al-Qamsha, told Tel Aviv Tribune Net, “The Palestinian media gave a lesson to the whole world, which has more technological tools, skills and training than it, and it surpassed it and made it zero in comparison to the North.”
Regarding honoring Al-Dahdouh, Al-Qamas explained, “This is the best choice, because he has become a global model for the journalist who pressed through all his pains in order to convey the voice of the Palestinian cause with very high professionalism.”
The head of the Performance Committee of the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate pointed out that “targeting Tel Aviv Tribune, since Sherine Abu Aqla and then Samer Abu Daqqa, is targeting the truth.”
Waiting for Arabic papers
During a press conference on the sidelines of Solidarity Day, the head of the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate, Khaled El-Balshi, said, “The assassination of Samer Abu Daqqa is a war crime, and a targeting of the Palestinian truth and narrative that succeeded and reached the world.”
Al-Balshi denounced “the rising number of martyrs of Palestinian journalists amid global silence and the Zionist entity’s insistence that the truth not reach the world.”
He stressed that “Dahdouh’s nomination for the Egyptian Press Freedom Award a few days ago is a tribute to all the Palestinian press, and to the courage of this professional who continues his work under bombardment despite what happened to his family and his work team.”
The Solidarity Day witnessed a symposium entitled “Displacement is a Red Line,” during which strategic expert Amr Al-Shobaki warned against “the continued American bias with the Israeli occupation, making it a state above international law and international legitimacy.”
He explained, “Popular and humanitarian pressures no longer only lead to the adoption of the Palestinian narrative in the West, but Arabs in the West now have a broader political message that speaks to the importance of the presence of alternative elites in Western society.”
The strategic expert at Al-Ahram Center for Strategic Studies, Abdel-Aleem Mohamed, said, “We are facing a major criminal plan that needs to wave more cards than what is happening now from the Arab countries, in a way that may amount to threatening to suspend work on treaties and agreements.”