Media practitioners under the coalition, African Journalists Against Genocide (AJAG), on Wednesday, condemned what they described as Israel’s ‘intentional and deliberate’ targeting of their Palestinian colleagues in Gaza.
The coalition of African journalists from across the continent, in a statement, said it was joining other voices around the globe to express its disapproval of Israel’s prolonged action in Gaza, especially the murder of journalists who were simply doing their job.
AJAG was created by Nigerian broadcast journalist, Ireti Bakare-Yusuf and brings together journalists and media personnel from over 20 Africa countries.
Since the Israeli government and its military declared its ‘genocidal’ intent against the people of Gaza, AJAG stated that over 250 journalists have been killed in Gaza the deadliest period for journalists in the 21st century.
It also accused Israel of preventing almost all international journalists from entering the area and covering the ‘catastrophic’ humanitarian situation there.
For this reason, the coalition of journalists stated that the world has had to rely on the courage and tenacity of Palestinian journalists based in Gaza, stressing that the deliberate targeting of these journalists indicates the Israeli state’s clear strategy of suppressing the truth and silencing media.
“Without their voices, their eyes, their determination to inform, report and document the atrocities on the ground, the world would be blind to the full scale of Israel’s genocidal campaign against a besieged population.
“We hail from all over Africa, but have spoken in unison in a video, against the deliberate targeting of Palestinian journalists. We believe that our Palestinian colleagues in Gaza are being punished for simply telling the world the truth.
“As Africans we know too well the ugly face of colonialism, occupation and apartheid. We call on the international community to apply sanctions and treat Israel as it once treated apartheid South Africa. We demand accountability and justice for our Palestinian colleagues,” the statement added.
AJAG described journalism as the lifeblood of truth, echoing the voice of the people, holding the government to account, and interrogating the actions and policies that shape the lives of citizens.
However, it pointed out that reporting on the war crimes of the Israeli military and state is not a crime, maintaining that the killing of journalists is a crime.
AJAG therefore demanded that like all crimes, Israel must be held accountable under international law, insisting that the world’s silence and inaction make everyone complicit to the murders of the Palestinian journalists.
“We call on all national journalist groups and formations, along with the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) and other continental and international press groups to demand accountability and justice. African voices cannot be silent,” the statement added.
Emmanuel Addeh
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