Journalists' body to take legal action if Israel defies ICJ orders

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said Monday it will take legal action against Israeli politicians and military leaders if they do not comply with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling on the targeting of journalists.

In a letter sent to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, IFJ affirmed that its 600,000 members consider journalists in Gaza as their colleagues, Palestine News and Information Agency reported.

The letter sent by IFJ, represented by its president Dominique Pradaliei and secretary-general Anthony Bellanger, stressed that the Constitution of the International Federation of Journalists guarantees the protection of press freedom, journalists’ rights and the independence of journalism.

“The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate is one of our members, and journalists from 140 unions around the world consider Palestinian journalists as their colleagues,” read the letter.

The letter noted that the ICJ ordered Israel to take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of all acts of genocide prohibited by the Genocide Convention and to report back to the court within a month regarding its implementation of the provisional measures.

The letter said international law requires states to do everything in their power to protect civilians, stressing that journalists in war zones must be treated as civilians and protected as such.

“We now urge you to commit and issue policies and procedures to ensure that Israeli military personnel comply with this demand,” the letter said.

“If this does not happen, we will not hesitate to file lawsuits at international courts against politicians and commanders in the Israeli army,” added IFJ.

The IFJ urged the 187 affiliate members to do the same, as permitted by national judicial mechanisms.

The federation stated that it has been following with great concern the alarming increase in the number of journalists killed in Gaza since Oct 7. This toll accounts for nearly 10 percent of all journalists working in Gaza.

According to media reports, two more Palestinian journalists were killed on Monday in Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, pushing the death toll since Oct 7 last year to 122.

- Bernama