JAKARTA - The International Media Association 'Foreign Press Association (FPA)' expressed disappointment with the Israeli Supreme Court (MA) which again postponed a decision on a lawsuit they filed regarding Israel's policy of banning journalists from covering the Gaza Strip.
"The Foreign Press Association is deeply disappointed that the Israeli Supreme Court has once again delayed a ruling on our petition for free and independent press access to Gaza," the FPA said in a statement quoted by Al Jazeera, Wednesday, January 28.
Freedom of the press has been curtailed by the Israeli government since its military launched an offensive into Palestinian territory in the Gaza Strip in October 2023. Israel has openly banned foreign journalists from entering the unilaterally blockaded Gaza.
FPA suspects that the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who tends to ignore international law in its military operations in many countries, intervened in this Supreme Court ruling.
"What is more worrying is that the court seems to have been influenced by the argument of state secrets, which was presented in closed session and without the presence of FPA lawyers," continued FPA.
This international mass media association emphasized that there was no justification or argument that could legitimize Israel "completely prohibiting" media access or journalists to Gaza.
"This secret process does not give us the opportunity to refute these arguments, and paves the way for an arbitrary and indefinite closure of Gaza for foreign journalists," the FPA statement continued.
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