RSF indignant over non-renewal of press cards

Reporters sans frontières (Reporters without Borders - RSF) is indignant over the non-renewal by the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO) of press cards for Palestinian journalists working for the international media. Robert Ménard, Secretary-General of the organization, expressed his consternation: "This measure constitutes discrimination. No more, no less. It is not only the Palestinian media being targeted here, but also the international media, who will simply no longer be able to carry out their work as usual. We demand that the Israeli authorities go back on this decision rapidly so that Palestinian reporters can do their jobs in normal conditions. We need reporters in the Occupied Territories in order to find out what is happening there", he added. According to information obtained by RSF, with some exceptions, the Government Press Office has not renewed press cards for Palestinians (journalists and others working in the media) working for the international media since the beginning of the year. This decision, which affects journalists living in the Occupied Territories who work in Jerusalem as well as those who both live and work in the Occupied Territories, is said to be for "reasons of security". In addition, with the pretext of safeguarding employment in Israel, the authorities are refusing to renew press cards for technicians from foreign television stations, insisting that foreign television companies could easily employ Israelis. Without press cards, Palestinian journalists are at the mercy of the Israeli security forces, who may decide to refuse to let them into Jerusalem if they so wish. Some of the international media, such as France 2, have been obliged to call on teams from France to make reports in the Occupied Territories. According to the head of a press agency based in Jerusalem, press cards are being allocated "in a more less arbitrary fashion". Although most of Palestinian journalists have been informed that they will have to wait, some have been turned down flat. For example, Awad Awad, a Palestinian photographer with the Agence France-Presse, who had a press card since 1993 was informed that he would not get the renewal. On January 14, a number of heads of offices of foreign media - the press agencies AFP, AP, Reuters, the US television channels ABC, CBS and NBC, European television channels France 2, TF1, ARD, ZDF, RAI, etc. - signed a statement in which they protested against the refusal by the Israeli authorities to renew the press cards of their Palestinian staff members. According to Daniel Seaman, head of the Government Press Office, the problem of press accreditation is under examination.