Palestine became a member of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) during the meeting in Dublin Castle, on June 6. Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate head, Abdul-Nasser An-Najjar, was elected as a member of the IFJ Executive Committee by 283 votes out of 369. During the meeting, the IFJ re-elected Jim Boumelha (NUJ, UK & Ireland) as the President for another three years. Journalists Syndicates from 130 countries around the world participated in the election, the Maan News Agency has reported.
The IFJ demanded Israel to stop the assaults against Palestinian journalists, and strongly denounced the murder of journalists Husam Salama, Mohammad Abu Aisha and Mahmoud Al-Komy, who were killed by Israeli military fire and shells during the war on Gaza last year.
Furthermore, An-Najjar demanded Journalist Unions around the world to be involved in the efforts to reveal the whereabouts of Palestinian journalists Bashar Qaddoumy and Moheeb An-Nawaty who went missing in Syria.
In his speech at the Dublin Conference, International Relations Department head of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, Nabhan Khreisha, called for practicing pressure on the Israeli government to stop its violations against the Palestinian journalists, and to oblige to recognize ID cards issued by the International Federation of Journalists to Palestinian journalists.
General Assembly member of the Palestinian Journalist Syndicate, Omar Nazzal, stated that the syndicate launched an international campaign to pressure Israel into removing the restrictions on Palestinian journalists, and to allow them to move freely between Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Furthermore, Secretary General of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, Yousef Al-Ostath, stated that Palestine garnered the highest global vote, and said; “this victory is a victory to the martyrs among the Palestinian journalists, killed by the Israeli army, this is a victory to their sacrifices, a victory that exposed the crimes of the Israeli occupation”.
