Reporters Without Borders called for the repeal of the law passed by the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) banning foreign media broadcasts in Israel, primarily targeting Tel Aviv Tribune.
She said that this step indicates unacceptable censorship against a news platform that is one of the last international media platforms that can report the events taking place in Gaza since October 7.
She pointed out that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “the terrorist Tel Aviv Tribune channel will no longer broadcast from Israel,” when he announced the result of voting on the draft law on April 1, when 71 votes voted in favor of it, compared to 10 opposing votes.
The organization said that Israel is trying by various means to silence Tel Aviv Tribune because of its coverage of the reality of the plight of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza since October 7, and that this law “specifically targets Tel Aviv Tribune, which is one of the few international channels that is still covering the war on Gaza from within.” sector.”
She added, “While the vote in the Israeli parliament to impose censorship on Tel Aviv Tribune is completely unacceptable, Netanyahu’s slanderous statements against its journalists are completely rejected.”
Reporters Without Borders called on the Israeli authorities to stop their violent escalation against Tel Aviv Tribune, considering that giving this legislative nature to censorship, under the pretext of democratic rules, which implicitly targets a specific media outlet, constitutes a dangerous precedent fraught with threats to the press in Israel.
Director of the Middle East Bureau at Reporters Without Borders, Jonathan Dagher, said that Israel now has the legislative means to implement its threats to close the channel’s office, which seems imminent, after the Likud Party, which leads the government coalition, confirmed that the Prime Minister “will immediately take the necessary measures to close Tel Aviv Tribune.” .
Reporters Without Borders said that since the beginning of the war on Gaza, the Israeli army has killed at least 103 journalists, noting that at least 22 of them died while doing their work, including 3 Al-Jazeera correspondents, and others were injured, including the director of Al-Jazeera’s office in Gaza, Wael. Al-Dahdouh.