SHAH ALAM, May 16 — A group of senior journalists in Malaysia condemning the atrocities perpetrated by the Israeli military in Gaza has urged Israeli journalists and global organisations to strongly condemn the act and had also called for an immediate end to the assault.
Following the attack on the offices of media organisations in Gaza on Saturday, the group had cited the move of an army targetting offices of media practitioners to be “unthinkable in this era”.
“We condemned the attack on offices of media organizations in Gaza. Israeli airstrikes have destroyed Al-Jalas Tower that housed the offices of several media organisations, including the Associated Press and Al Jazeera.
“We urge the Israeli journalists to act as the conscience of the nation. What is happening is not about so-called Israel’s right to exist. They must also speak up on the rights of the Palestinians to co-exist and survive. The cruelties inflicted upon them the last seven decades are beyond the realm of human rights and human dignity,” the group said in a statement today.
The statement was co-signed by Tan Sri Johan Jaaffar, Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai, Datuk Hushamuddin Yaakub, Datuk Kadir Jasin, Datuk Seri Azman Ujang, Datuk Chamil Wariya, Datuk Yong Soo Heong, Datuk Zakaria Wahab, and Datuk Ahiruddin Atan.
The group had also expressed their dismay against several Western media in portraying the Palestinians as militants, radicals and terrorists, which was said to have been unsparingly used to justify the atrocities perpetrated by the Israeli military.
It had also voiced the lack of action by the United Nations General Assembly in addressing the issue, which was said to have been blocked by the administration of US President Joe Biden in issuing a statement and had also demanded that a stronger stance should be issued by the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC).
“The Muslim world is looking up for guidance and direction from OIC. The silence, especially among the powerful members of OIC, is, to say the least, palpable.
“We are saddened by the fact that the United Nations General Assembly has yet to come out with a resolution to address the issue… This is not about religion or ideology, it is about human lives and those who are being oppressed and victimized for far too long.
Citing the attack to have killed at least 122 Palestinians including 31 children and injured at least 900 others, the group said that the intensifying assault on Gaza is beyond the pale of humanity and is an act of aggression that must be condemned by nations and civil societies.
“We believe that the government of Israel is amassing its army for an incursion into Gaza. The move will further inflame the situation. The rising tension amidst the current Covid-19 pandemic is totally unnecessary.
“The civilian casualties are horrendous. The anger reverberates beyond Gaza, even into the state of Israel and the world over.
“We demand the atrocities perpetrated by the Israeli military to stop immediately in Gaza,” the statement read, adding that the actions by the Israeli military had started with the eviction of several Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, the right-wing mob attacks against Palestinians, the attacks against worshippers at Al Aqsa mosque and the strikes against targets in Palestine.
