On Wednesday, Palestinian press institutions called for protection for journalists, in light of the ongoing violations by the occupation against them.

This came in separate statements on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, which was adopted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization "UNESCO", on the third of May of each year.

In a statement, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate saluted and praised the masses of Palestinian journalists who prove daily the intersection of their professionalism with their patriotism by enduring crimes and violations, and the unjust occupation measures that target them through shooting and raising martyrs, as well as serious injuries from bullets, gas bombs, arrest, detention, and prevention. From work, travel bans, even moving between the West Bank and Gaza Strip, seizing and destroying equipment, financial fines and threats with the aim of intimidating them, the Palestinian media is still creative in revealing more about the ugly face of the occupation despite the risks and costs. as she said.

The Syndicate called on the international community and international institutions to expedite the procedures of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which accepted the complaint submitted by the Syndicate of Journalists to investigate the crimes of the occupation, foremost of which is the assassination of fellow journalist Sherine Abu Aqleh, and fellow martyrs in the Gaza Strip, and the rest of the crimes committed by the terrorism of the occupation.

She concluded her statement by stressing the continuation of the efforts of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate to follow up with the United Nations Human Rights Council and the rest of the international and regional institutions and federations within the due efforts to provide protection for the steadfast and professional Palestinian journalist despite all the risks.

For its part, the Journalist Support Committee said that the Israeli occupation continues its violations against journalists and media professionals in the occupied Palestinian territories, which have increased to (174) Israeli violations since the beginning of the current year 2023, and the number of journalists detained in the occupation prisons has increased to 19 journalists and media workers.

The committee warned against the persistence of the Israeli occupation in ignoring the basic principles of freedom of the press, by continuing its violations, without the slightest concern for what the third of May represents every year, which the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed this international day in 1993, by Following the recommendation adopted by the twenty-sixth session of the General Conference of UNESCO in 1991.

And she called for the necessity of releasing the imprisoned media writer Walid Daqqa, who is sick with cancer, before it is too late, especially since his health condition is deteriorating due to the deliberate medical negligence against him, after the Israeli occupation authorities transferred him last Sunday, April 30, from Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon, to Ramla Prison Hospital.

She also demanded the need to put pressure on the occupation to release 19 prisoners in the occupation prisons, as well as to lift the house arrest of the two Jerusalemite journalists, Lama Ghosheh and Raeda Golani, as they are subject to house arrest according to unfair conditions, and they are prevented from communicating and communicating, and they only move within the limits of the house.

Humanitarian and human rights institutions called for intervention to stop the detention policy, renew the administrative detention of detained journalists in the occupation prisons, and release all journalists who are politically detained by the occupation without legal justification.

For its part, the Palestinian Journalists Forum said that the commemoration of World Press Freedom Day coincides with the impact of the continued violation of press freedom in the occupied Palestinian territories, especially by the Israeli occupation authorities, which committed 1185 violations from 2022 until the end of last April, and 19 journalists are languishing in their dark prisons. This violates international and humanitarian conventions and norms that affirm the protection of journalists and the guarantee of freedom of journalistic work. The Palestinian media knights also suffer from violations by the security services due to their journalistic work.

The forum said in a statement that it looks forward to achieving justice by holding the Israeli occupation accountable for its crimes against its knights, especially colleagues Sherine Abu Aqleh and colleagues Ghufran and Rasneh, as well as more than 50 journalists who died treacherously and treacherously with bullets and missiles of the occupation since 2000, reaffirming the need to investigate Freedom of the press by ensuring a free and independent media environment, and providing legal and effective guarantees to ensure the security of journalists while performing their duties.

He stressed that the arbitrary measures of the occupation authorities aim to obscure the facts in flagrant violation of the principles of international law, and fall within the framework of policies to silence mouths and prevent the transfer of the truth of what is happening in the occupied Palestinian territories, and in view of that, he calls for the necessity of an effective and binding intervention for all international, human rights and humanitarian institutions and human rights activists. And the relevant international and media institutions, led by the International Federation of Journalists, to carry out their duty to provide protection for journalists, stop persecuting the media, raise their voice, and take practical moves and measures to stop the occupation’s crimes against them and guarantee their press freedom.

He also stressed the need to put pressure on the Israeli occupation authorities to release journalists who are in their prisons, and to stop arresting journalists and putting them in dark cells for nothing but their practice of the media profession.