Media groups call on European Union to suspend treaty, impose sanctions on Israel

Media and rights groups urge EU to suspend Israel cooperation, impose sanctions for "massacring journalists" in Gaza.

Some 60 media and rights organisations on Monday (August 26, 2024) urged the European Union (EU) to suspend a cooperation accord with Israel and impose sanctions, accusing it of “massacring journalists” in Gaza.

“In response to the unprecedented number of journalists killed and other repeated press freedom violations by the Israeli authorities since the start of the war with Hamas, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and 59 other organisations are calling on the European Union to suspend its Association Agreement with Israel and to adopt targeted sanctions against those responsible”, the groups said in a joint statement.

The call came ahead of a meeting by EU foreign ministers in Brussels on August 29.

The period following Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 and Israel’s devastating retaliatory assault on the Gaza Strip “has been the deadliest for journalists in decades”, the letter said.

“More than 130 Palestinian journalists and media professionals have been killed by the Israeli armed forces in Gaza since 7 October. At least 30 of them were killed in the course of their work, three Lebanese journalists and an Israeli journalist have also been killed during the same period”, it says.

“The targeted or indiscriminate killing of journalists, whether committed deliberately or recklessly, is a war crime”, it said.

EU’s association agreements with non-member countries are treaties that govern bilateral relations, including trade.