Israel Matzav

Israelis renounce membership in International Federation of Journalists

A group of Israeli journalists has renounced its membership in the International Federation of Journalists after the organization's Secretary General refused to retract his condemnation of Israel for bombing the headquarters of Hezbullah's al-Manar propaganda television station.

HaAretz reports that IFJ General Secretary Aiden White proposed coming to Israel to settle the dispute, but Israeli journalist and IFJ member Yaron Anosh told him that as long as the censure remained in effect, White would be unwelcome in Israel.

The IDF attacked the Hezbollah's TV station shortly after it began its offensive in Lebanon last week. The IFJ said in a statement last weekend that the strike is "a clear demonstration that Israel has a policy of using violence to silence media it does not agree with."

IFJ members in Israel demanded that the censure be lifted immediately and asked why the IFJ did not condemn Hezbollah for firing rockets at Israeli journalists.

After the IFJ refused to nullify its condemnation, the six Israeli members announced their immediate resignation. .

"I have no intention of being a being a card-carrying member of an organization that would give a similar card to Hezbollah member, whether he is firing Katyusha or serving as the group's propaganda man at its TV station," Anosh said. "A terrorist is not a journalist, and if an international organization prefers to have terrorists as members - then count us out."

The IFJ on has also called on the IDF to explain an incident Wednesday in which troops opened fire on an Al-Jazeera TV news crew, injuring a technician.

"First reports suggest that here was an unarmed media crew suddenly subject to an unprovoked attack by Israeli soldiers," IFJ General Secretary Aidan White said in a statement. "If true, it is an astonishing and terrifying example of targeting and the Israeli authorities must give an explanation as to how this happened."

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 6:17 PM