Journalists protest Israel outside German consulate in İstanbul

In a demonstration organized by DİSK Basın-İş journalists’ union outside the German Consulate in İstanbul, trade unions and Palestinian solidarity groups joined forces to condemn Israel for the killing of over 100 journalists in its war on Gaza since October 7.

Supporting DİSK Basın-İş, the rally saw participation from DİSK Enerji-Sen, DİSK Sosyal-İş, İşçi Dayanışma Derneği, the Palestinian diaspora, and BDS Turkey.

Chants of "Murderer Israel, Collaborator Germany," "From the river to the sea, a free Palestine," and "Freedom to Palestine, Boycott Israel" echoed through the crowd.

Speaking at the event, Vecih Cuzdan from DİSK Basın-İş reminded the audience that the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), in collaboration with the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS), declared February 26 as the International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian Journalists. He stated:

Since October 7, Israel has murdered more than 100 journalists. Almost all of them were deliberately targeted and shot while they were working in the field wearing vests marked 'PRESS'. States committing war crimes target journalists everywhere to suppress their crimes, attempting to deter them from doing their jobs. The world follows what happens in Palestine thanks to the heroic journalists who work risking their lives and becoming disabled.

Israel's targeting of journalists is not a new phenomenon. Sherine Abu Akleh, a journalist with 25 years of experience known throughout the Arab world, was killed in May 2022 during an Israeli raid on the city of Jenin in the West Bank, while reporting with a PRESS vest and a cameraman by his side.

The Great March of Return, initiated by journalist and poet Ahmed Ebu Artema with a Facebook post, witnessed the killing of two journalists and the injury of 357 others by sniper fire between March 30, 2018, and December 27, 2019. Some were deliberately targeted in the knees and eyes, and others were left disabled as the Israeli government obstructed their treatment.

After October 7, Israel targeted not only Palestinian journalists but also the Lebanese press and correspondents from Western agencies reporting from Palestine. For instance, Issam Abdallah, a video journalist working for Reuters, was killed on October 13 in southern Lebanon by gunfire from Israeli tanks.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 75% of journalists killed worldwide in 2023 were Palestinian. The International Federation of Journalists noted that one in ten journalists working in Gaza was killed after October 7.

Journalists are systematically arrested, held for months without any charges or trial through administrative detention, and, when released under house arrest, have their home internet cut off to prevent them from working.

In the aftermath of October 7, over 400 Palestinians were killed, thousands injured in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and more than 7,000 Palestinians were detained. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, among those detained were numerous Palestinian journalists.

Israel continues to commit these war crimes with impunity. Despite repeated condemnations by the United Nations, Israel has not faced any sanctions to date. The latest statement from the United Nations Human Rights High Commissioner's Office on February 23 called for the cessation of arms sales to Israel, but sales persist.

Among the countries supplying arms to Israel are the United Kingdom, Canada, France, and Australia, with the United States and Germany providing the most significant support. While people around the world fill the streets to support Palestine and call for an end to the occupation, Germany exerts the greatest pressure on these protests. Germany, instead of confronting its own Nazi past, goes to great lengths to support Israel, which attacks the Palestinian people using very similar methods. Germany has even gone so far as to ban the Palestinian flag and the keffiyeh, a national symbol of the Palestinian people and a common garment in Arab cultures.

In Turkey, the ruling AKP government voices support for Palestine from the podium while continuing unabated trade relations with Israel. According to data from the Turkish Exporters' Assembly, the total export value to Israel exceeded $1 billion in the last three months of 2023. The products most exported to Israel by Turkey are steel and chemical substances, widely used in the defense industry.

Today, our expression of support for Palestinian journalists is rooted in these facts. Therefore, we shout once again: Freedom for Palestine, Boycott Israel.” (HA/VK)