The Foreign Press Association in Jerusalem on Thursday said it “strongly opposed” another delay by the Israeli Supreme Court on its petition demanding independent media access to Gaza after the war, according to AFP.
Since the outbreak of the Gaza War in October 2023, Israel has barred foreign journalists from entering the Palestinian enclave, with a limited access for only a few reporters under strict military supervision during escorted visits with Israeli forces.
The Supreme Court gave the state, on November 24, an additional 10 days to respond to the appeal. However, the court, on Thursday, extended the deadline again to December 21. Therefore, Israel will have an opportunity to submit a plan for foreign media access to Gaza.
“This is an urgent appeal. Continuously preventing coverage — every minute, every hour, every day — seriously undermines the ability of international media to carry out their mission, and infringes on the fundamental rights of billions of users,” the FPA said in a statement.
In October, the association accused the Israeli government of repeatedly delaying the entry of foreign journalists into Gaza. Thus, it has prevented them from fulfilling their journalistic responsibilities and “hindering the public’s right to information.”
The association also noted that this marked the ninth extension the court had granted, explaining that it was “clear the state’s goal is to delay submitting its preliminary response as much as possible.”
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