Foreign Press Association condemns Israel’s move to keep Gaza media ban in Supreme Court filing
An international media association criticized the Israeli government for maintaining its ban on unrestricted media access to Gaza, calling the move “disappointing” after authorities told the Supreme Court in a late Sunday submission that the restriction should remain in place.
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The government’s filing said continued exclusion of foreign journalists from independently entering the Gaza Strip is necessary. “This is for security reasons, based on the position of the defence establishment, which maintains that a security risk associated with such entry still exists,” the submission said.
Officials also argued that allowing reporters in now could hinder the ongoing search for the remains of the last hostage held in Gaza. The remains of Ran Gvili, whose body was taken to Gaza after he was killed during Hamas’s 2023 attack, have not been recovered despite the ceasefire, the government noted.
The Foreign Press Association (FPA) — which represents hundreds of journalists working in Israel and the Palestinian territories — petitioned the Supreme Court in 2024, seeking immediate and unrestricted access for foreign journalists to Gaza. The court granted the government several extensions to respond before setting Jan. 4 as a final deadline last month to present a plan for media access. In its latest submission, the government reaffirmed its position that the ban should stand.
Since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, triggered by an attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, authorities have barred foreign journalists from independently entering the devastated territory. Access has been limited to small, case-by-case visits by reporters embedded with the Israeli military inside the blockaded enclave.
The FPA called the latest government stance a continued affront to press freedom. “The Foreign Press Association expresses its profound disappointment with the Israeli government’s latest response to our appeal for full and free access to the Gaza Strip,” the association said Monday morning. The group said it plans to submit a “robust response” to the court and expressed hope the “judges will put an end to this charade.”
“The FPA is confident that the court will provide justice in light of the continuous infringement of the fundamental principles of freedom of speech, the public’s right to know and free press,” the association added.
The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling on the matter, though it remains unclear when a decision will be handed down.
An AFP journalist sits on the board of the FPA.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
