PROMINENT Jewish journalists in the UK media are demanding the media blackout on Gaza is lifted and that reporters are allowed into the besieged territory.
In an open letter 17 journalists of Jewish backgrounds called on Israel and Egypt to allow the media into the territory “with immediate effect”.
The letter, signed by household names such as Robert Peston (below), Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel, said the ban on journalists entering Gaza was “unjustified and unjustifiable”.
The letter said: “With the breakdown of the most recent ceasefire, restrictions on aid, and troops on the ground, it is critical that reporters are able to fulfil their important responsibility to report accurately, faithfully and independently, and to exercise the normal editorial judgements according to the highest ethical standards and journalistic practices.
“We note that local media have done an extraordinary job reporting on events while themselves being displaced, hungry and at constant risk, but they should not carry this burden alone.
“As journalists and editors, who are also Jews, we see Israel’s and Egypt’s refusal to allow such access as unjustified and unjustifiable, and as an unacceptable restriction on our professional responsibility to inform readers, viewers and listeners accurately and impartially.”
The excuse of “battlefield security” was dismissed by signatories, who said: “To suggest that the safety of journalists cannot be guaranteed is not a reason to deny access. International journalists are aware of the risks.
“These risks are for them to manage as they do all too frequently in conflict zones around the world. That is their job and that is their calling: to report from some of the most troubled places in the hope that humanity will not avert its eyes.”
They added: “The longer that international journalists are denied direct in-person contact, the harder it will be to write the first draft of this baleful history, to shine a light on the impact and learn lessons.”
