Members of the Palestinian Union of Journalists and their supporters gathered in Ramallah’s Al-Manara Square on Sunday to demonstrate against an Israeli attack on two media buildings in Gaza.
Ramallah, West Bank – Dozens of Palestinians in the West Bank – territorially separated from the Gaza Strip – protested in the territory’s administrative center Ramallah on Sunday, accusing Israel of directly targeting journalists in an attempt to stifle the flow of information out of Gaza.
Media NGOs, including Reporters Without Borders, have condemned the strike, which wounded six Palestinian journalists and damaged the equipment of foreign media covering the nearly week-long escalation of violence. One journalist lost his leg in the attack.
Palestinian journalists protest against Israeli attack on Gaza media buildings, Ramallah, 18 Nov 2012 (photo: Roee Ruttenberg)
The Committee to Protect Journalist‘s Deputy Director, Robert Mahoney, also condemned the strike:
Journalists are civilians and are protected under international law in military conflict. Israel knows this and should cease targeting facilities housing media organizations and journalists immediately.
Israel says it was targeting the antenna of al-Quds TV, which it considers the media propoganda wing of Hamas. Imad Efranji, al-Quds TV’s Gaza director, told Al Arabiya news that the attack was “a new crime against the media.”
WATCH ROEE RUTTENBERG REPORTING FROM RAMALLAH RALLY
Roee Ruttenberg is a freelance journalist, producer, and television news correspondent. He has worked for ABC News, CCTV (Chinese Television) News, Al Jazeera English and ZDF German Television, as well as several other international news outlets. His writings have been published in Ha’aretz and The Jerusalem Post. He divides his time between Israel and the United States.
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