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Middle East conflict

Israel Foreign Press Association goes to court to ensure media access to Gaza

The association expects the Israeli government and military "to stand true to their stated commitments to allow freedom of reporting for journalists," as "freedom of the press is a basic civil right in a democratic society"

TEL AVIV, December 20. /TASS/. Israel's Foreign Press Association (FPA) has filed a petition with the country's Supreme Court demanding that access to the Gaza Strip be ensured for representatives of international media, the association's press service reported.

"The Foreign Press Association (FPA) in Jerusalem filed a petition on Monday with the Israeli Supreme Court seeking immediate access to the Gaza Strip for the international media. This step comes after multiple official requests to the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO), the Israeli military and Defense Ministry received no substantive response," the statement said. "Israel has blocked foreign press access to Gaza during some previous wars, but never before so long," the FPA continued, expressing hope that "this petition will encourage the government to grant access" to the Gaza Strip to foreign media.

The association expects the Israeli government and military "to stand true to their stated commitments to allow freedom of reporting for journalists," as "freedom of the press is a basic civil right in a democratic society." "We also believe it is in the public interest to get a fuller picture of conditions inside Gaza after 10 weeks of extremely limited and highly controlled access. The Israeli military has allowed some reporters to embed with troops in Gaza, but this does not allow access to areas where soldiers are not present," the association continued.

The FPA noted that it is "aware of the unique security challenges posed by the current war, and any members entering Gaza would have to take these risks into account. But the Israeli government’s recent agreement to allow aid to enter Gaza directly from Israel shows that such obstacles can be overcome.".

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Middle East conflict

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