- Foreign Press Association
- 1 Agudat Hasport Hapoel St.
- Jerusalem 9695102
- Israel
- +972 (0)54-6311177
- fpa.execsec@gmail.com
FPA Statements 2010
November 11, 2010
Statement by the Foreign Press Association
The FPA is very concerned at recent reports from members in Gaza concerning the local government’s demand for substantial payments for the operation of broadcast and transmission equipment in Gaza.
We strongly protest the manner in which a number of our members have been summoned to local police stations to answer the demand for payment. This is a licensing issue which should not involve the police. Our members are professional journalists working for respected global news organizations, and we expect the local authorities to treat them accordingly.
We would be happy to send a delegation of FPA Board members to meet with the relevant authorities to discuss this and promptly find a satisfactory resolution.
November 3, 2010
Statement by the Foreign Press Association
The FPA is very concerned at recent reports from members in Gaza concerning the local government’s demand for substantial payments for the operation of broadcast and transmission equipment in Gaza.
We strongly protest the manner in which a number of our members have been summoned to local police stations to answer the demand for payment. This is a licensing issue which should not involve the police. Our members are professional journalists working for respected global news organizations, and we expect the local authorities to treat them accordingly.
We would be happy to send a delegation of FPA Board members to meet with the relevant authorities to discuss this and promptly find a satisfactory resolution.
September 27, 2010
Statement by the Foreign Press Association
The Foreign Press Association strongly protests the brutal treatment of Associated Press photographer Nasser Shiyoukhi at the hands of Israeli security forces on Saturday, Sept. 25. Mr. Shiyoukhi suffered a broken rib in the course of being detained near Beit Omar, where he was trying to cover the weekly protest by local residents and foreign activists.
According to Mr. Shiyoukhi’s account, and from video taken at the scene, nothing can justify the verbal and physical abuse he endured. Mr. Shiyoukhi says he was grabbed by border police as he tried to walk away from confrontation. Footage shows him being pushed face-down against a wall and having his helmet pulled off his head. Although he argued and struggled with two security men who grabbed him, at no point did he endanger them. Mr. Shiyoukhi says he was then taken inside the Carmei Tsur settlement, where forces cursed him and at least one kicked him. He later was released without charge. Also, Mr. Shiyoukhi, who is from Hebron and regularly covers the weekly protests, said an Israeli soldier had threatened him on Friday, a day before the incident, warning him he would be hurt if he came to Beit Omar.
We request that the army and border police investigate this outrage and that those responsible be brought to account without undue delay. We also urge that soldiers and border police be made to understand that such behavior is wrong, unprofessional and also counterproductive.
July 17, 2010
Statement by the Foreign Press Association
The FPA strongly protests what appears to be a recent policy change by the Border Police and IDF with regard to legitimate news coverage in the West Bank. Over the past months journalists covering these events have been harassed, arrested and attacked by the various on site forces before these forces turn their attention to the activists or demonstrators.
We would appreciate it were the authorities to remind the various forces involved, that open, unhindered coverage of news events is a widely acknowledged part of the essence of democracy.
Generally speaking this would not include smashing the face of a clearly marked photographer working for a known and accredited news organization with a stick, or for that matter aiming a stun grenade at the head of a clearly marked news photographer or summarily arresting cameramen, photographers and/or journalists.
June 4, 2010
Statement by the Foreign Press Association
On Wednesday night in Silwan we had another of a series of occasional incidents over the years when an armed member of the settler community portrayed himself as a foreign correspondent and attacked Palestinians.
We wish to make it clear yet again, Foreign correspondents in Israel and the Occupied Palestinians Territories have never and will never carry weapons.
Any who holds a weapon is therefore by definition not a foreign correspondent.
Anyone who claims to be from the foreign media but who is armed, is lying.
There are no exceptions to this statement throughout Israel and the Palestinian occupied territories.
We totally condemn in the strongest terms anyone who makes forgeries of journalist’s I-D cards to carry out violent criminal activities.
June 3, 2010
Statement by the Foreign Press Association
The Foreign Press Association strongly condemns the use of photos and video material shot by foreign journalists, now being put out by the IDF spokesman’s office as “captured material.”
The material and/or equipment that was confiscated from journalists covering the events on the ships, should be returned to the owners and their media organisations. The use of this material without permission from the relevant media organisations is a clear violation of journalistic ethics and unacceptable. In view of this we urge members to treat the material with appropriate caution.
We call upon the authorities to immediately clarify the source of the material.
May 31, 2010
Statement by the Foreign Press Association
The FPA wishes to protest in the strongest terms this morning’s closure of Erez crossing to Foreign journalists despite the Supreme Court ruling from 2009 requiring it to allow access.
Random denial of access to Gaza for the world’s media amounts to a severe violation of press freedom and puts the state of Israel in the company of a handful of regimes around the world which regularly keep journalists from doing their jobs.
We call on the Israeli authorities to lift this ban immediately in line with the decision of their own country’s Supreme Court and the basic principles of democratic statehood.
February 15, 2010
Statement by the Foreign Press Association
The Foreign Press Association is deeply concerned with the arrest of British filmmaker and journalist Paul Martin, in Gaza by Hamas authorities. We expect the Hamas as we do all parties, to respect the rights of every journalist on assignment, to work without fear of being arrested. The Foreign Press Association hereby requests the Palestinian Authorities in Gaza to immediatly release Paul Martin.