The Foreign Press Association in Israel criticized Sunday the governmental threat to journalists who plan to take part in the Gaza flotilla will be forbidden from entering Israel for the next 10 years.
An FPA statement read: “It sends a chilling message to the international press and raises serious questions regarding Israel’s commitment to the freedom of the press.” Israeli government on Sunday threatened to ban international journalists for up to a decade from the country if they join a flotilla planning to breach the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Israel’s Government Press Office issued a letter Sunday to foreign journalists, warning them that participating in the upcoming flotilla sailing to Gaza is “illegal” under Israeli law, and could result in anyone who joins the convoy being barred from Israel for up to 10 years.
Furthermore, the letter says, “participation in the flotilla is an intentional violation of Israeli law and is liable to lead to participants being denied entry into the State of Israel for ten years, to the impoundment of their equipment and to additional sanctions.”
Haaretz correspondent, Amira Hass, will be joining the flotilla, along with several dozen other journalists and several hundred activists from some 20 countries. Also joining the flotilla will be American writer Alice Walker, despite an American advisory that doing so could be a violation of U.S. law.
In May 2010, the Israel Navy boarded six boats that comprised a similar aiming to break the Israeli naval blockade on the Strip; nine activists on board were killed by Israeli soldiers.
The European campaign to end Gaza siege announced on Thursday that the II Gaza-bound aid flotilla would sail to the Gaza Strip in the middle of next week, adding that there are no changes to this date.
“This time, the ships would carry hundreds of international activists coming from around 40 countries, among them lawmakers and members of the European parliament, among them members of Communists and leftists’ parties, in addition to 40 TV stations,” said the campaign.
