WASHINGTON, May 5, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Following is a statement from Emily Wilkins, president of the National Press
Club, and Gil Klein, president of the National Press Club
Journalism Institute, on the Sunday decision by the Israeli cabinet
to immediately ban Al Jazeera's operations in Israel, seize the international news
outlet's local equipment, and block its websites.
"The decision by Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu's government to shut down Al Jazeera
operations in Israel is the wrong
one. It is wrong for the people of Israel, for the people of Gaza, for
people in the West Bank, and for
the rest of the international news network's millions of viewers
around the region and world who rely on Al Jazeera's reporting of
the nearly seven-month Israel-Hamas war. We fully support Al
Jazeera's decision to fight this in court.
As a democracy, the people of Israel depend upon the free flow of
information, particularly right now when the decisions their
government is making are so enormously impactful for the future of
their country's relationships in the Middle East and with the broader international
community.
Most chilling about this decision is what it will mean for Al
Jazeera journalists and crews working and living in
Gaza. They are not mentioned in
the government decision. By branding Al Jazeera as a national
security threat, we are deeply concerned that the Israeli
government may view them as legitimate military target.
They are not."
About The National Press Club
Founded in 1908, the National Press Club is the world's leading
professional organization for journalists. The Club has 3,000
members representing nearly every major news organization and is a
leading voice for press freedom in the
United States and around the world.
About The National Press Club Journalism Institute
The National Press Club Journalism Institute promotes an
engaged, global citizenry through an independent and free press and
equips journalists with the skills and standards to inform the
public in ways that inspire a more representative democracy. The
NPCJI is the nonprofit affiliate of the National Press Club
Contact: Bill McCarren, press freedom consultant for
the National Press Club, wmccarren@press.org, (202)
662-7534
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SOURCE National Press Club