T
he deadly war waged by Israel against Gaza since the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, has also claimed among its victims a fundamental right: freedom of information. For nearly two years, Israeli authorities have banned the press from freely entering the narrow strip of land. This is unprecedented for a territory so often subjected to the violence of war, and is unworthy of a country that prides itself on being the only democracy in the Middle East.
Nothing can justify such an information blockade. Yet, it has been tolerated without debate by many of Israel's Western allies, who claim to defend the right to information as a matter of principle. The United States, above all, has never once demanded an end to this practice, which is worthy of the world's worst regimes. The countries of the European Union have also remained silent, despite the fact that their trade partnership agreement with Israel explicitly makes respect for human rights an essential condition of the relationship.
This shameful silence from democracies has allowed Israel's governing coalition to cross far too many lines, without ever being challenged on what it was so determined to hide from the world's eyes. Imposing a media blackout and delegitimizing Palestinian voices by systematically accusing them of ties to the Islamist militia Hamas has ensured impunity, including for the killing of journalists in Gaza.
