US EditionFrench Journalists File Lawsuit Against Israel for Blocking Access to Gaza, West Bank
French journalist unions accuse Israeli authorities of obstructing press freedom and report intimidation, citing over 210 media workers killed since October 2023, potentially constituting war crimes.
- On Tuesday, the National Union of Journalists and the International Federation of Journalists lodged a Paris complaint accusing Israeli authorities of blocking French reporters from covering the war in Gaza.
- In a 100-page filing made public by FranceInfo, the unions say Israel's restrictions on media access and reported intimidation amount to breaches of press freedom and could rise to war crimes, describing attacks as `structural`.
- Because the case involves French citizens, PNAT is authorised to investigate, and lawyers Louise El Yafi and Inès Davau highlighted violent obstruction and rising risks for French journalists working in the Palestinian Territories and West Bank.
- The filing joins other France-based legal actions, including cases on Franco-Israeli soldiers and Eurolinks, while Reporters Without Borders reports more than 210 media workers killed since Israel’s Gaza operation.
- The case could change how foreign journalists gain access to Gaza by urging PNAT to investigate media restrictions as possible war crimes, highlighting risks in the Palestinian Territories and the West Bank.
17 Articles
17 Articles
French journalists file legal complaint against Israel over Gaza
Two journalist unions have filed a legal complaint in France against Israel for allegedly obstructing the work of French journalists in the Palestinian territories, including by denying access to Gaza, they said Tuesday. Israel has not allowed international journalists into the blockaded Palestinian territory since the start of the war on Gaza October 2023, except when embedded with Israeli forces. Agence France-Presse (AFP) was among several in…
Two journalist unions are suing Israel in a French court over Israel's continued refusal to allow international journalists into Gaza.
French journalists file lawsuit against Israel for blocking access to Gaza, West Bank
Two French journalist unions last week filed a complaint with the Paris anti-terror prosecutor’s office, accusing Israel of “obstructing the freedom to inform” in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The complaint was the latest attempt to pressure Israel into opening up Gaza to the international press.
Anadolu Ajansı
Aletho NewsFrench journalist groups file complaint over press freedom restrictions in Palestinian territories
'This is the first time that a legal action of this nature ... has been brought before a national court,' IFJ, SNJ lawyers say - Anadolu Ajansı
Two journalists' organizations filed complaints in Paris this Tuesday for "inhibiting freedom to practice journalism." Since 7 October 2023, only a handful of foreign reporters have been allowed to return to Gaza.
French unions take Israel to court for restricting media access to Gaza
Two major journalism organisations have filed a legal complaint in Paris accusing the Israeli authorities of blocking French reporters from covering the war in Gaza – a move that could test how France applies its own press-freedom protections in an international conflict.
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