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Dear Prime Minister...
BELOW is the letter that the Branch delivered to 10 Downing Street on 27 August; and, such as it is, the government response.
Dear London Freelance Branch members,
I received an anonymous reply from the Parliamentary Correspondence Team, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to whom the letter we delivered to the Prime Minister was passed. I am sorry to say that their letter entirely failed to engage with the issues we raised. In italics below are excerpts from the bureaucratic boilerplate.
“Journalists covering conflicts are afforded protection under International Humanitarian Law (IHL) because they are civilians, and all parties must avoid deliberate attacks against them and only detain them on justified grounds.”
Yes, and how does your point above relate to our colleagues targeted and killed in Gaza by Israeli forces? Why is Britain maintaining diplomatic and trading relations with the Israeli state after these egregious violations of international humanitarian law?
“The UK remains committed to Media Freedom... Independent media is essential to a functioning society, and journalists must be able to investigate and report independently without fear. Alongside our partners, the UK co-signed a Media Freedom Coalition statement on 10 September 2024...”
What will the UK do now that the measure you described above has clearly failed to protect journalists in Gaza?
“Furthermore, media equipment and installations dedicated to civilian purposes are civilian objects and must not be the target of attacks or reprisals, unless they qualify as military objectives.”
Yes, and what will your government do?
“The UK respects the independence of the International Criminal Court (ICC)... The UK will always meet its obligations under international law and the International Criminal Court Act 2001. The UK Government has been clear that Israel has a right to defend itself, in accordance with international law. There is no moral equivalence between Israel, a democracy, and Hamas and Lebanese Hizballah, which are terrorist organisations.”
We did not write to you about either Hamas or Hizbullah. We did write to you about the targeted killing of our fellow journalists reporting for international news organisations. Please stay on topic.
“The situation in the region continues to evolve rapidly. But please rest assured that we will continue to do all that we can to push for peace.”
Please say how.
With my academic undergraduate-marking hat on I grade the government’s response to our genuine concerns as a very low 2:2.
For ‘the best of us’ honouring of Gaza colleagues