- Foreign Press Association
- 1 Agudat Hasport Hapoel St.
- Jerusalem 9695102
- Israel
- +972 (0)54-6311177
- fpa.execsec@gmail.com
FPA Statements 2005
December 7, 2005
Statement by the Foreign Press Association
PROTEST:
The FPA would like to protest against the continuing restriction being placed on its members with Israeli i.d. to Gaza via the Erez crossing.
Its has been ten days since the restriction was imposed and this represents a significant infringement of our member’s ability to do their work.
Access to Gaza remains a crucial part of our membership’s coverage of the story, and this continuing restriction is harmful.
Our members are intimately familiar that they enter Gaza at their own risk and their signing of waiver forms proves this beyond question.
We urge the Israeli authorities to lift this restriction.
November 4, 2005
Statement by the Foreign Press Association
The FPA strongly protests the arrest and detention of Al Jazeera cameraman Nabil Mazzawi at Bila’in.
According to the information at our disposal he was arrested while carrying out his professional duties.
We therefore view his detention as totally unwarranted and request his immediate release as well as an investigation into his detention.
The FPA will follow the matter closely.
October 12, 2005
Statement by the Foreign Press Association
The Foreign Press Association wishes to condemn the latest kidnapping of two journalists in the Gaza Strip.
It urges all who have influence in this area to do all they can to bring about the journalists immediate release.
This is not the first incident of its kind and the FPA repeats its dismay and outrage at the totally unwarranted detention of members of the Free Press during the pursuit of their professional duties.
We demand that the relevant authorities, whoever they may be, do all they can to make sure this never happens again.
September 14, 2005
Statement by the Foreign Press Association
The Foreign Press Association wishes to appeal against the IDF spokesperson’s recent announcement concerning the prohibition on “permanent residents” entering the Gaza Strip. The FPA has many members who have dual citizenship and who frequently visit Gaza in the course of their work as professional journalists.
At this important time in Gaza it is crucial that these members are allowed to gain access. Our members are fully familiar with the environment inside Gaza and the FPA eels it should be left to the individual journalist to assess the risks involved.
he FPA urges the Israeli authorities to reconsider this decision at the earliest opportunity, as there are important events and developments unfolding inside Gaza now which require coverage!
September 10, 2005
Statement by the Foreign Press Association
The FPA wishes to express its outrage at the abduction of veteran Italian journalist Lorenzo Cremonesi during the course of conducting his professional duties inside Gaza today. The FPA demands his immediate release and urges all relevant authorities to do all they can to bring this kidnapping to a satistfactory conclusion. The FPA furthermore urges all parties in in Gaza to unconditionally respect the rights of journalists to conduct their work in safety and condemns in the stongest possible terms this assault on press freedom.
August 16, 2005
Statement by the Foreign Press Association
The FPA strongly condemns the kidnapping on Sunday night of sound man Muhammad Ouathi, who was covering events in the Gaza strip for France 3 TV and taken by unknown gunmen.
The FPA asks the Palestinian Authority to make every effort to ensure his release. The FPA urges journalists working in Gaza to exercise great caution.
August 3, 2005
Statement by the Foreign Press Association
The board of the FPA protests very strongly at the directive from the Interior Ministry of the Palestinian Authority to the effect that journalists should inform the ministry of any story relating to police or security forces.
his a clear attempt to impose censorship and restrict the freedom of the press and the FPA urges its members to ignore this order.
We hope that this is not an indication of further measures to harass or intimidate journalists by the Palestinian Authority and we will monitor the situation closely.
June 30, 2005
Statement by the Foreign Press Association
The board of the FPA strongly protests the de facto closure of the entire area of Gush Katif to its members today. This occurred while we were being informed that entrance to that area was possible to all journalists bearing a GPO card and having been promised transparency and open coverage of events in this part of the Gaza Strip by several official spokespersons .
The IDF spokespersons present on the scene were unable to provide adequate solutions to FPA members waiting at the Kissufim crossing and transportation arrived as the story ended.
The footage filmed by the IDF during todays events in Gush Katif cannot be a substitute for material obtained by professional journalists in the field.
The FPA considers this a very worrying precedent and we urge the authorities to continue the ongoing dialogue with us to ensure that such incidents and obstructions do not occur in the future.
June 20, 2005
Statement by the Foreign Press Association
The board of the FPA is very concerned at comments attributed to Prof. Assa Kasher in Haaretz newspaper on Monday, June 20.
To accuse foreign journalists of being insensitive to Israeli lives is an obnoxious slur. We have the same concern for Israeli lives – and all human lives – as anybody else.
Such remarks could only reflect a profound misunderstanding of the foreign media and the ethics that guide its work.