Israel Bombs Associated Press and Al Jazeera Offices: A War Crime to White Out War Crimes
| revcom.us
On May 15, Israeli jets bombed and demolished an 11-story building housing the office of the Associated Press (AP), a leading mainstream news service based in the U.S., along with the offices of the Qatar-based Al Jazeera news service and other offices and apartments. For 15 years, the AP’s top-floor office and roof terrace were a prime location for covering Israel’s assaults on Gaza, including wars in 2009 and 2014.
A statement from the head of AP said, “The world will know less about what is happening in Gaza because of what happened today.” That is the intended result.
Journalists are supposed to be protected under international humanitarian law against direct attacks unless and for such time as they take a direct part in hostilities. Such attacks amount to war crimes. The destruction of the entire building housing the AP offices sends a message that Israel declares itself exempt from the most widely accepted international laws governing the conduct of armies during war, including those demanding proportionality in military exchanges and not targeting press for attack.
A ball of fire erupts from a building housing various international media—including The Associated Press, along with offices of the Qatar-based Al Jazeera news service—after an Israeli airstrike on May 15 in Gaza City. Photo: AP/Mahmud Hams
People inspect rubble of office building that had housed The Associated Press and Al Jazeera news among others, demolished by Israeli warplanes, May 15. Photo: AP/Hatem Moussa
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