His Excellency Ariel Sharon
Prime Minister
Jerusalem
Israel

Fax: (00972-2) 513 950

Vienna, 21 January 2002

Your Excellency,

The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists, strongly condemns the Israeli army’s demolition of the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation’s (PBC) headquarters, studios and offices in Ramallah, as well as the decision not to renew press accreditation for Palestinian journalists.

According to IPI’s sources, on 19 January members of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) stormed the PBC headquarters, which also houses its main television and radio station, the Voice of Palestine. Arriving with tanks and bulldozers, the soldiers evacuated all employees and proceeded to place explosive charges on the upper floors of the building. The charges were detonated and half of the five-storey complex was reportedly destroyed. Crippled by previous IDF attacks, the station had been operating on regional frequencies since December.

The Israeli Government Press Office’s (GPO) refusal to issue new press cards, which expired on 31 December, prevent an estimated 450 Palestinians, many of whom work for foreign media organisations, from covering news in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Under the new restriction, they are no longer allowed to move freely from one city to another, or to enter Israel or East Jerusalem. In addition, the GPO has allegedly prepared what it calls a “Black List” of Palestinian media workers.

These latest violations of press freedom appear to be part of a concerted strategy by the Israeli army to control reports on the surge in armed hostilities throughout the region.

IPI regards these crude attacks and restrictions on journalists and media outlets as gross violations of everyone’s right to “seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers” as guaranteed by Article 19 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We call upon Your Excellency to cease the attacks on Palestinian media outlets and journalists of all nationalities and to ensure the renewal of press credentials for Palestinian media workers. We further urge you to allow journalists in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories to carry out their profession without further harassment.

We thank you for your attention.

Yours sincerely,

Johann P. Fritz
Director