Media groups condemn arrest of 2 journalists aboard Madleen ship
The journalists were identified as Yanis Mhamdi, from the independent media outlet Blast, and Omar Faiad, a reporter for Al Jazeera.
In a statement, the Committee to Protect Journalists called for the immediate release of journalists who were part of the pro-Palestinian convoy of activists delivering aid to Gaza as a symbolic protest against the ongoing war and to raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis.
It urged EU leaders to pressure Israel to 'stop all assaults on press freedom and protect journalists.'
Condemning the arrest, Reporters Without Borders said: 'Boarding a civilian vessel in international waters to intercept a crew that included two French journalists documenting a peaceful humanitarian initiative is not only illegal, but constitutes a serious violation of international law and press freedom.'
Meanwhile, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said the activists and journalists aboard the ship were deported on Tuesday morning from Ben Gurion Airport to their home countries.
'Those who refuse to sign deportation documents and leave Israel will be brought before a judicial authority, in accordance with Israeli law, to authorize their deportation. Consuls from the passengers' home countries met them at the airport,' the Foreign Ministry posted on X.
The ministry also posted pictures of the renowned climate activist Greta Thunberg on a flight to Sweden following her deportation.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
39 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
Lebanon drafts reply to US demand for Hezbollah to disarm, sources say
Lebanese officials were drafting a response on Tuesday to US demands for Hezbollah to relinquish its weapons across the country by November in exchange for a halt to Israeli military operations, two sources briefed on the matter said. The deadline has turned up the heat on Iran-backed Hezbollah, which was struck hard by Israel during last year's war, is suffering a financial crunch and faces pressure in Lebanon to disarm. Washington's demands were conveyed by Thomas Barrack, US special envoy to Syria and ambassador to Turkey, during a trip to Beirut on June 19. The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, told Reuters Barrack had shared a written roadmap with Lebanese officials and told them he expected to hear back by July 1 on any proposed amendments. The six-page document centers on the disarmament of Hezbollah and other militant groups, and urges Lebanon to improve ties with neighboring Syria and implement financial reforms, they said. It proposes a phased approach to disarmament, in which Hezbollah would hand in its arms throughout Lebanon in exchange for the withdrawal of Israeli troops occupying areas in south Lebanon, the sources said. Barrack said full disarmament should be completed by November or by the end of the year at the latest, they said. Disarmament would end Israeli strikes targeting Hezbollah members and unlock funds to rebuild parts of Lebanon destroyed by Israeli forces last year, they said. The US has said Washington will not support reconstruction in Lebanon without Hezbollah laying down arms. The proposal also refers to establishing a mechanism overseen by the United Nations to secure the release of Hezbollah-linked prisoners by Israel, the sources said. They said Barrack had urged Lebanese officials to seize the opportunity laid out in the roadmap as it 'may not come up again.' He is set to return to Lebanon next week. Barrack had not yet gotten Israeli approval for the roadmap, the sources said. There was no immediate response from the US state department, Israel's prime minister's office or Israel's foreign ministry to Reuters requests for comment. 'The right to say no' Lebanon has appointed a committee to formulate a preliminary response, comprised of delegates from the offices of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, President Joseph Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, the sources said. It was not clear whether the initial reply would be ready by Tuesday. The US proposal includes a condition that the final deal be sealed with a unanimous decision by Lebanon's government, the sources said. The second source, and a third source briefed on the matter, said Berri was in close communication with Hezbollah to secure the group's input. 'Hezbollah has not refused to cooperate with the committee and in fact began sending signals of cooperation - but has not committed to disarming,' the third source said. The prospect of securing Hezbollah's disarmament - unimaginable two years ago - underlines the big shifts in the Middle East power balance to the detriment of Iran's allies across the region since the start of the war between Israel and Hezbollah ally Hamas in October 2023. Some of Hezbollah's arsenal was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes, and other depots in southern Lebanon were handed over to Lebanon's army in accordance with the US-brokered ceasefire that ended that round of conflict. That deal called for the disarmament of armed groups across Lebanon. Hezbollah has said it applies only to the group in Lebanon's southernmost districts. Hezbollah has not commented publicly on Barrack's proposal. But in a televised address on Monday, its secretary general, Naim Qassem, reiterated Hezbollah's resistance to US and Israeli pressure and urged other Lebanese to do the same. 'We have the right to say 'no' to them, 'no' to America, 'no' to Israel,' Qassem said. 'We call on you in Lebanon: do not help Israel and America with their plans.' Qassem said the US and Israel 'want to exploit the moment to turn the equation in the entire region in their image.'
Al Arabiya
40 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
Israel's normalization appeal elicits mixed responses in Syria, Lebanon
Israel's overture this week to Syria and Lebanon for a peace deal has sparked mixed reactions in both countries, where the idea of normalizing ties has long been considered taboo. On Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said his country had an 'interest in adding countries, Syria and Lebanon, our neighbors, to the circle of peace and normalization while safeguarding Israel's essential and security interests.' Beirut and Damascus did not comment on Saar's words. His statement comes amid major shifts in the region's power dynamics, including the fall of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December and the weakening of Lebanese Hezbollah after its latest war with Israel. Syria's new authorities have confirmed they held indirect talks with Israel to reduce tensions after the Israeli army took over the UN-patrolled buffer zone in southern Syria and bombed countless Syrian army positions. Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has repeatedly stated that Damascus does not seek conflict with its neighbors, asking the international community to pressure Israel into stopping its attacks. He has also refrained from using his predecessor Assad's terms for Israel, like 'the usurping entity' or 'the Zionist enemy.' Amid a rapidly shifting regional landscape, some Syrians have expressed a tentative openness to the prospect of normalization. 'There is no problem with conducting peace negotiations, but in a way that maintains Syria's dignity,' said housewife Rania al-Fawakhiri, sitting in a cafe in Damascus. 'Of course, we are not talking about complete normalization, but conditional normalization that does not undermine our rights,' she added. Syria has said that the goal of ongoing negotiations is the reimplementation of the 1974 ceasefire between the two countries. Golan issue In the same cafe, lawyer Awad al-Hamad said that Syrians would support 'any peace that leads to the restoration of Syrian rights.' 'We want our land, we have occupied land,' he added, referring to the Golan Heights, which he said will 'only ever be Arab and Syrian.' Israel occupied the Golan Heights during the 1967 war and then annexed it in 1981, in a move not recognized by the international community. In his statement, Saar stated that the Golan Heights 'will remain part of the State of Israel' under any future peace agreement. For decades under Assad rule, Syrian school curricula presented Israel as an 'enemy' and an 'occupying entity,' and deemed the liberation of the Golan a 'national duty.' Syria and Israel have technically been in a state of war since 1948. Under Assad, Syria repeatedly asked for the Golan Heights to be returned in exchange for peace. Prior to the current indirect talks, no negotiations had taken place since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, which saw Iran and its proxies expand their networks in the country. Israel's interest in normalizing comes after many of its enemies were weakened in its wars in Lebanon, Gaza and Iran. The United States has been strongly pushing for normalization, with Syria envoy Tom Barrack saying on Sunday that Sharaa 'has indicated that he doesn't hate Israel... and that he wants peace on that border.' 'We will fight' Barrack also asked Lebanese officials to formally commit to fully disarming Hezbollah, one of Israel's sworn enemies. Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon, saying it is targeting Hezbollah positions, despite a November ceasefire that sought to end its war with the Iran-backed group. Lebanese officials have vowed that state forces will be the sole bearers of arms and demanded that Israel fully withdraw its troops from Lebanon. The latest conflict with Israel began after Hezbollah launched attacks across the border in 2023 in support of its ally Hamas in Gaza, before it escalated into a full-blown war in September. Hezbollah's areas of influence in south and east Lebanon, as well as Beirut's southern suburbs, saw heavy destruction, while the country's already crippled economy suffered heavy blows. Walking in Beirut's Hamra street, 71-year-old Naim Qassir said that 'Lebanon's wellbeing comes first, and if the only way to get that is through normalization... we could have a peace treaty to rebuild our country.' A few meters away, 46-year-old driver Ahmed Shamas said that 'even if the whole world normalizes with Israel... we the owners of the land in the south, the Beqaa and Dahiyeh (Beirut's southern suburbs) will not.' 'We will fight it until the end of time.'
Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
Hundreds of media figures accuse BBC of acting as ‘PR' for Israel, urge removal of board member
LONDON: Hundreds of media professionals, including over 100 current BBC staff, have signed an open letter accusing the broadcaster of acting as 'PR for the Israeli government,' and called for the removal of BBC board member Sir Robbie Gibb over alleged conflicts of interest. The letter, sent to BBC Director-General Tim Davie and the broadcaster's board, follows a string of controversies — including the BBC's live broadcast of anti-Israel chants by the punk-rap duo Bob Vylan at Glastonbury, and the decision to pull a commissioned documentary on Gaza. 'All too often it has felt that the BBC has been performing PR for the Israeli government and military. This should be a cause of great shame and concern for everyone at the BBC,' the letter stated. The signatories — which include actress Miriam Margolyes, filmmaker Mike Leigh, actor Charles Dance, and historian William Dalrymple — claim the BBC's coverage of Gaza 'falls short' of its editorial standards and fails to reflect the reality on the ground. The letter also raises concerns over the BBC's decision to withdraw from airing 'Gaza: Doctors Under Attack,' a documentary it originally commissioned, which will now be broadcast by Channel 4. The BBC said it pulled the film because it 'risked creating a perception of partiality.' 'This appears to be a political decision and is not reflective of the journalism in the film,' the letter stated. 'This illustrates precisely what many of us have experienced first hand: an organisation that is crippled by fear of being perceived as critical of the Israeli government.' Much of the criticism focuses on Gibb, a former head of the BBC's Westminster political team and ex-spin doctor for Prime Minister Theresa May. Gibb helped lead the consortium that purchased The Jewish Chronicle in 2020 and served as a director until August 2024. The letter describes his position on the BBC board — including on the editorial standards committee — as 'untenable,' citing the Jewish Chronicle's alleged history of publishing 'anti-Palestinian and often racist content.' The letter accuses Gibb of a conflict of interest and highlights what it sees as a double standard: 'For many of us, our efforts have been frustrated by opaque decisions made at senior levels of the BBC without discussion or explanation. Our failures impact audiences. 'As an organisation we have not offered any significant analysis of the UK government's involvement in the war on Palestinians. We have failed to report on weapons sales or their legal implications. These stories have instead been broken by the BBC's competitors.' The statement alleges Gibb has a 'conflict of interest' which 'highlights a double standard for BBC content makers who have themselves experienced censorship in the name of 'impartiality.'' The letter further stated: 'In some instances staff have been accused of having an agenda because they have posted news articles critical of the Israeli government on their social media. 'By comparison, Gibb remains in an influential post with little transparency regarding his decisions despite his ideological leanings being well known. We can no longer ask licence fee payers to overlook Gibbs's ideological allegiances.' A BBC spokesperson said: 'Robust discussions amongst our editorial teams about our journalism are an essential part of the editorial process. 'We have ongoing discussions about coverage and listen to feedback from staff and we think these conversations are best had internally. 'Regarding our coverage of Gaza, the BBC is fully committed to covering the conflict impartially and has produced powerful coverage from the region.' The spokesperson added that in addition to 'breaking news, ongoing analysis, and investigations,' the BBC has produced award-winning documentaries such as 'Life and Death in Gaza,' and 'Gaza 101.'
