Palestinian Syndication of Journalists yesterday called for the protection of journalists from the Israeli violations targeting them and their profession, the Safa news agency reported. In a statement, the group described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to close Palestinian media outlets under the pretext of "incitement" a "new occupation" targeting freedom of speech and aiming to suppress the Palestinian voice. It added that the Israeli occupation has been waging a war against Palestinian journalists since 1967, noting that tens of journalists were killed or wounded in this war and many media outlets were shut down. "The war against journalists came in response to the demands of the Israeli settlers and the extremist right-wingers, who had been calling for the closure of Palestinian radio and TV stations," it said. "The attempt by the Israeli government to label the Palestinian press with incitement and as fuelling hate will not succeed because the Israeli government is the party which practices incitement and hate through the Israeli mass media." "The Israeli mass media does not only incite hatred, but also promotes cold-blooded killing and the field executions of Palestinian youths."
