Informed 11


tragedy – journalists injured, journalists imprisoned, journalists beaten, journalists prevented from working and journalists fined.” She described how, in a visit to Ramallah a couple of years ago, she saw first-hand the pressures and dangers colleagues in the PSJ faced day in and day out just doing their job. She said the recent killings described


by the PSJ were war crimes under international law and there must be a transparent investigation: “We have seen blatant lies told by the Israeli government to justify these killings. Te treatment of journalists and media workers as terrorists is an outrage that must stop.” Te meeting was chaired by Liz


Saville Roberts, co-chair of the NUJ’s Parliamentary Group, and she and Graham Morris, Labour MP, and Brendan O’Hara, SNP, paid tribute to the journalists and said they would continue to press for a two-state solution and would publicise the abuse of journalists’ and human rights described. Before the evening’s meeting, the delegation, led by Jim Boumelha, NUJ national executive member and IFJ treasurer, had held a series of meetings with Alastair Burt, foreign minister, Fabian Hamilton, shadow minister for peace and disarmament, and Richard Burgon, the shadow justice minister. Tat very day Alastair Burt and MPs had taken part in an emergency debate about the Israeli atempt to bulldoze the villages of Khan al-Ahmar and Abu Nuwar. Alastair Burt said he condemned the action which would “strike a major blow to prospects of a two-state solution with Jerusalem as a shared capital”. Te Palestinians’ busy schedule continued for the next two days, with interviews with the press and meetings at the TUC and with journalists from the BBC, Financial Times and Te Guardian. At a meeting with staff from the BBC’s Persian service, they heard about incidences of intimidation and harassment of journalists and their families by the Iranian authorities and the NUJ’s campaign for action by the international community. Te women


Just a typical day in the


office On Monday 14 May, journalists covering protests in Gaza were injured when Israeli military opened fire on Palestinian protesters along the Gaza border. Te International Federation of Journalists, the Federation of Arab


Journalists and the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate strongly condemned the brutal and indiscriminate use of lethal force. Te Israeli army fired live ammunition, tear gas and firebombs at protesters aſter thousands of Palestinians demonstrated to mark the 70th anniversary in commemoration of their


said sexist tactics to shame them, such as publishing their heads Photoshopped on to pornography and being accused of flirting with male colleagues, were being used.


Te delegation also took a trip into deepest Islington, north London, to meet Jeremy Corbyn at a stuffy community centre where he does constituency work. Te Labour leader listened keenly and asked many questions while pledging his support.


forced displacement from Israel and the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem. According to the Palestinian health ministry, at least 58 Palestinians were killed on Monday, including six children. Te IJF identified nine journalists who were covering the events among the injured.


Despite the terrible danger faced by the press, Musa Al-Shaer said there was no shortage of Palestinian journalists prepared to put their lives on the line to record and report on the atrocities in the region.


“Tese atacks and violations of press


freedoms from the Israelis push us to continue and make us more determined to continue. Lots of people are joining the profession because they need to tell our story under the occupation.”


NUJ


Michelle Stanistreet and the delegation meet Jeremy Corbyn


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