French journalists sue Israel, citing press freedom violations.
The two organizations, which are the largest union of journalists in France and the largest union of journalists worldwide, filed a lawsuit against the Israeli regime on Tuesday.
The lawsuit denounces an “organized, systematic and prolonged effort” to prevent journalists, including French ones, from accessing Gaza and safely carrying out their journalistic duties.
According to the lawsuit, no foreign journalists have been allowed to freely enter Gaza since Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
The unions said this amounted to “an unprecedented media silence in an armed conflict” exacerbated by “the brutal repression of Palestinian journalists and media professionals.”
The joint press release from the two unions states: “The disruptions documented by the National Union of Journalists (SNJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) have been carried out by Israeli military, police, customs and administrative units, as well as by private individuals and settlers in the occupied territories.”
The National Union of Journalists argues that these measures are aimed at “preventing accurate and nuanced coverage of events and imposing a one-sided narrative.”
French journalists working in the region have reported being denied access to certain areas and having their equipment searched or confiscated by Israel.
Some have reported being physically attacked, threatened with weapons, arrested, interrogated, detained, or arbitrarily expelled by Israel.