“The
Only Democracy In The Middle East”
“The Only
Democracy In The Middle East”
Today is
World Press Freedom Day, a rare item in Israel.
Americans
are forever told that “Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East.”
Actually, most of Israel consists of occupied Palestine. The Israelis have
succeeded in committing genocide against a country.
The only
democracies in the Middle East are Syria, Iran, and perhaps Lebanon, and these
are the countries under attack by Israel and Washington.
Stephen
Lendman reports on Israel’s lack of media freedom:
Endangered
Media Freedom in Israel
by Stephen
Lendman
The Palestinian Center for Development
& Media Freedoms(MADA)
said Israeli violations against media freedoms reached “a new peak compared to
what has been monitored (in) past years.”
It
documented 407 Israeli media freedom violations last year, the largest number
since it began monitoring them a decade ago - journalists and media outlets
targeted on the phony pretexts of engaging in “incitement” or ties to terrorist
groups.
Reporters
Without Borders (RSF) ranks Israel 101st among world nations on media freedom,
saying “journalists face a ‘military censorship’ and must deal with censorship
orders.”
“Abuses of
the Israeli army against Palestinian and foreign journalists are common,
especially while covering demonstrations.”
Media
freedom ends where alleged national security begins. Since last October, Israel
arrested 19 Palestinian journalists without just cause, 10 still imprisoned,
six held administratively uncharged, others on phony accusations of involvement
in “incitement” or ties to terrorist organizations.
According
to PA information ministry head Mohammed Khalifa, Israel unjustifiably claims
“everything that’s happening is due to incitement, not to the occupation and
its injustices.”
“Therefore
an attempt has been made to turn all Palestinian journalists into inciters and
harm those who bring the Palestinian story to local or world attention…This is
another way for the occupation to intimidate the Palestinians.”
On April
23, Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate board member Omar Nazzal was arrested at
the Israeli/Jordanian border while en route abroad to attend a European
Federation of Journalists conference.
He’s
unjustly administratively detained uncharged for nonexistent “involvement in a
terrorist organization,” according to Shin Bet.
He
committed no crimes. Israel wants him silenced. His attorney, Mahmoud Hassan,
believes he was targeted for recent articles claiming Israel assassinated
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) member Omar Nafef Zayed in
Bulgaria last February.
On April 6,
journalist Saheh Dweik was arrested and charged with social media incitement -
alleging she called for violence. She called accusations fabricated.
Journalist
Muhammad al-Qiq hunger struck over three months against his unlawful
administrative detention uncharged. He’ll be released on May 21 provided Israel
doesn’t renege on its agreement.
Medical
science can’t explain how he managed to survive so long, ingesting only water.
His ordeal took a terrible toll on his body, perhaps permanent damage.
Free
expression is grounds for arrest in Israel. Exposing regime wrongdoing risks
assassination. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) demand Nazzal’s immediate release.
IFJ
president Jim Boumelha called it “ shocking to hear that a participant to a
congress for journalists from all over Europe has been arrested by the Israeli
authorities on his way to attend and banged in Etzion prison without any reason
being given.”
Delegates
representing European-wide journalists demand the release of their colleague.
Israel invents phony charges or allegations, justifying the unjustifiable.
They’re
targeted for doing their jobs responsibly, unjustly accused of terrorism, ties
to so-called terrorist groups, or involvement in incitement.
May 3 is
World Press Freedom Day, enshrined under Article 19 of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, stating:
“Everyone
has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom
to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart
information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontier.”
In December
1993, the UN General Assembly declared May 3 World Press Freedom Day.
It
“celebrate(s) the fundamental principles of press freedom; assess(es) the state
of press freedom throughout the world; defend(s) the media from attacks on
their independence; (and) pay(s) tribute to journalists who have lost their
lives in the line of duty.”
Press
freedom is under attack in Israel, America, and other Western societies.
Unchecked government ruthlessness endangers truth-telling.
Stephen
Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at
lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new
book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive
for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his
blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
/https://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/content/dam/thestar/news/canada/2021/09/25/huawei-executive-meng-wanzhou-receives-warm-welcome-upon-return-to-china/_1_meng_wanzhou_2.jpg)
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