President Moshe Katzav urged to ensure freedom and safety of media in Palestinian fighting

Reporters Without Borders urged France today to press Israel to guarantee the freedom and safety of foreign and Palestinian journalists working in Israel and the Palestinian territories occupied by the Israeli army. The media was having serious difficulties covering events there, the organisation said in a letter to French President Jacques Chirac asking him to raise the issue with Israeli President Moshe Katsev, who is visiting France from 16-20 February. It also asked to be kept informed about the progress of the military enquiry into the death of British journalist James Miller, who was killed by the Israeli army on 2 May last year in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. The press freedom organisation deplored the army's failure to properly investigate the death of Palestinian cameraman Nazeh Darwazi, killed by Israeli soldiers on 19 April last year in Nablus while working for the US news agency APTN (Associated Press Television Network). A Reporters Without Borders on-the-spot enquiry found the shooting was due to a serious violation of military regulations and that those responsible should be punished. The organisation said it feared failure to publish the results of the Miller investigation and making only a partial enquiry into Darwazi's death would mean that those who killed the journalists would not be punished at all, leading to new such abuses in the coming year. It said lack of a clear message from Israeli military and political leaders about ensuring journalists' freedom and safety would also encourage new shootings. Working and travel conditions for journalists, especially Palestinians and foreigners, were very difficult in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip, it said, because of the hostile attitude of some Israeli soldiers, who disobeyed their commanders' orders but were very rarely punished. The organisation noted that Israeli troops had last year shot and wounded at least three journalists, physically attacked five others and arrested another. Many journalists were harassed and obstructed at military checkpoints in the West Bank and Gaza.