Wednesday, 31 December 2008
The High Court of Justice is expected to rule Wednesday on a petition against a recent government decision barring foreign correspondents from entering Gaza.
The Tel Aviv-based Foreign Press Association filed the court petition last month after the government imposed the restriction following an upswing in Palestinian rocket attacks.
"We are hoping for the Supreme Court to overturn the ban on the foreign press getting into Gaza," said Simon McGregor-Wood, a member of FPA's board. "This is a two-sided story and there is no substitute for us being able to see the events with our own eyes." The issue was especially timely due to the Israeli air offensive underway in Gaza, he said.
The petition charges that the ban constitutes "a grave and mortal blow against freedom of the press and other basic rights," and gives the unpleasant feeling that the State of Israel has something to hide.
The ban was eased after the petition was filed, but then reimposed.
The government has long banned Israeli journalists from entering Gaza due to concerns for their safety, but had always allowed foreign journalists in, even during times of fierce fighting.
The Defense Ministry has said that foreign journalists will be allowed back into Gaza when Palestinians stop firing rockets at Israel.
Israel has also voiced displeasure over the international media's lack of balance in coverage of events in Gaza, inflating Palestinian suffering, while not always making clear that Israeli actions were in response to Palestinian attacks.
"We don't get it right every time, but we do a reasonably balanced job," McGregor-Wood said. "Israelis shouldn't have anything to worry about us going into Gaza."
A three-justice panel will hear the case on Wednesday morning.
