Journalist Union: We Reject Doubts About the Status of Martyr Journalists and Warn Against Adopting the Israeli Narrative

SadaNews - The Palestinian Journalists' Union condemned the circulating allegations and claims from Israeli sources, which aim to undermine the professional status of Palestinian journalist martyrs who have fallen during the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip. This is a blatant attempt to justify the crimes committed against them and to evade the legal and moral responsibilities tied to targeting them.

The union emphasized in a statement today, Thursday, that these false claims represent an extension of a systematic campaign aimed at obscuring the truth and its narrators, with the goal of tarnishing the image of Palestinian journalists and undermining their professional and national standing, after the occupation has failed to conceal its crimes from the eyes of the world, despite its direct, systematic, and repeated targeting of journalists and media organizations.

It stressed that the journalists and media professionals who were martyred during the aggression were engaging in well-documented journalistic and media activities and belonged to local, Arab, and international media institutions, or worked independently in the journalistic field, and they were targeted because of their duty to convey facts and document violations and crimes against our people.

The union expressed its absolute rejection of any external interference in classifying Palestinian journalists or questioning their professional status, including what is issued by the "Committee to Protect Journalists" or any other entity that claims the right to evaluate or endorse the journalistic status of those working in the Palestinian media field.

It called on all Arab and international media and rights organizations to review and coordinate with it, and to respect its decisions concerning the recognition of martyr journalists.

The union affirmed that international humanitarian law and relevant international agreements guarantee protection for journalists during armed conflicts, considering them civilians. Any attempt to link the status of a journalist to alleged political affiliations or personal opinions or ideological backgrounds constitutes a dangerous precedent, which the occupation will exploit to legitimize targeting journalists and justify their killing. This is wholly rejected and contradicts the principles upon which press freedom and the right of peoples to access information stand.

It also emphasized that it is the only professional and union reference in Palestine authorized to define the journalistic status of those working in the Palestinian media sector, document violations against them, and account for martyrs, wounded, and detained journalists according to clear and established professional criteria, in coordination with relevant local and international media and rights organizations.

The union warned of the dangers of engaging with the Israeli narrative or adopting classifications that aim to undermine Palestinian journalists, as this indirectly contributes to providing cover for impunity and distorting the record of victims who sacrificed their lives for upholding their professional message and the world's right to know the truth.

It urged all Arab and international journalists' unions and organizations concerned with media freedom, to reject these misleading claims and to work towards holding accountable those responsible for crimes and violations against Palestinian journalists, and to continue pressing for international protection for media workers in the occupied Palestinian territories.

It emphasized that its membership conditions stipulate that a journalist is someone who only works in the journalism profession, and that its membership is limited to professional journalists without others, demanding that everyone, without exception, refrain from associating the name of any journalist with any other titles beyond journalism.

The union, while bowing in reverence to the spirits of Palestinian journalism martyrs, affirmed that their blood will remain a testament to the crimes targeting the truth, and that attempts to distort and undermine will not diminish their professional standing nor their human and national message.