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Israel Cannot Remain a Democracy Without Protecting Press Freedom [1]

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Date: 2024-11

Press freedom is a core element of democracy, ensuring that independent journalists can hold officials accountable to the public and provide both voters and leaders with the facts they need to make informed decisions. The democratic function performed by the media is even more important at times of armed conflict, when the dissemination of accurate information is often a matter of life and death.

Unfortunately, Freedom House has observed deteriorating conditions for journalism around the world in recent years, coinciding with a broader decline in democratic freedoms. Much of the problem can be attributed to authoritarian regimes like those in China or Russia, or to nonstate actors like criminal and terrorist groups. Democracies have not been immune to this trend, however, and the conflict that began with the Hamas-led terrorist attack of October 7, 2023, has put a spotlight on serious press freedom violations by the Israeli authorities.

Media freedom under pressure in Israel

State pressure on independent journalism within Israel did not begin on October 7. For nearly a decade, the country has scored 3 out of 4 on the media freedom indicator in Freedom House’s annual Freedom in the World report. Despite the existence of legal protections for journalism in Israel, we have noted with concern several harmful actions taken by the Israeli government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He and his allies have repeatedly undermined public trust in independent journalists by smearing them as partisan adversaries or traitors who pose a threat to national security. Journalists and media outlets have described feeling the need to self-censor to avoid being singled out for retribution by the prime minister. Long-standing Israeli laws also require journalists to comply with prior military censorship when reporting on security issues, and violations can result in criminal charges.

Since the October 7 attack, the situation for both the domestic and international press in Israel has worsened significantly. For example, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of news items fully or partially redacted by the military censor. In April of this year, the Israeli parliament passed a law granting senior ministers the ability to shut down foreign media outlets if they are determined to be a security risk. The next month, the government banned the Qatar-based news outlet Al Jazeera from operating in Israeli territory. And in June, two Palestinian journalists were attacked by crowds during a right-wing march in Jerusalem. Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli security forces stood by and did not intervene, though some marchers were subsequently arrested.

Deaths, arrests, and restrictions in the West Bank and Gaza

The number of journalists killed during the ongoing regional conflict is appalling. At least three journalists were killed in the initial October 7 attack by Hamas militants, and as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) noted in a joint letter to the US president signed by Freedom House and other organizations, more journalists were killed in the first 10 weeks of the conflict than had ever been killed in a single country over an entire year since CPJ records began in 1992. By the end of October 2024, at least 134 journalists and media workers had been killed in Israel, Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon since the outbreak of hostilities last October.

While some of these deaths were unintentional, multiple reports to the United Nations and other organizations indicate that even journalists wearing gear and traveling in vehicles that clearly identified them as members of the press have been attacked, spurring concern that Israeli troops targeted them deliberately. A Reporters Without Borders (RSF) investigation found that some of the incidents could amount to war crimes under international law.

Journalists attempting to report on conditions in Gaza and the West Bank are also facing arrest in increasing numbers. CPJ ranked Israel as one of the world’s top jailers of journalists in the aftermath of the October 7 attack. As of October 23, 2024, the organization had documented 69 arrests of journalists in the West Bank and Gaza. Of these, Israeli forces arrested 66, while Palestinian authorities arrested three.

Beyond the physical dangers faced by reporters on the ground, media outlets have also encountered significant restrictions on their ability to cover events in Gaza and the West Bank. In December, the Israeli military issued a censorship order limiting English-language reporting on the war in Gaza. The few foreign journalists allowed into the Gaza Strip are kept under strict supervision. Earlier this year, the Israeli government seized Associated Press camera equipment and shut down the news agency’s live feed from Gaza, accusing it of violating the law by sharing images with Al Jazeera. Officials reversed course after an international outcry, turned the feed back on, and promised to return the equipment. Israeli authorities also recently shut down the last Al Jazeera office in the West Bank, using the April 2024 law as justification.

The Israeli government’s decision to cut electricity supplies and impose near-total communications blackouts in Gaza have made it even more difficult for journalists to report on the conflict. This too may be a violation of international law, since Israel has a responsibility as the occupying power to provide electricity to civilians in the territory.

A shared interest in wartime press freedom

To protect press freedom in Israel, Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon, the US and other democratic governments should immediately arrange for swift, transparent, and independent investigations into all killings of journalists in the conflict zone. They should demand that Israeli and Egyptian authorities provide international journalists with access to Gaza, and that Israeli forces cease communications blackouts and take whatever steps are necessary to keep journalists safe in Gaza and other areas under Israeli military control. Finally, they should call on all parties to the conflict to respect the right of journalists to report on the hostilities, including by promptly releasing any journalists still in arbitrary detention in Israel or the Palestinian territories.

Independent reporting on armed conflicts is crucial for a variety of reasons, including its role in accountability for war crimes and the efficient delivery of humanitarian aid. But Israelis have particular incentives to uphold the principle of press freedom at this moment, when their democratic institutions are under extreme pressure, when their leaders are hotly debating the best path forward, and when the country is deeply dependent on fellow democracies for security and diplomatic support. The protection of journalists should be an urgent priority for Israelis, Palestinians, and all who have a stake in long-term peace and freedom across the region.

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[1] Url: https://freedomhouse.org/article/israel-cannot-remain-democracy-without-protecting-press-freedom

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