Earlier this month, Israel detained American journalist Jeremy Loffredo, alleging that he had aided its enemy by reporting on Iranian strikes. He was released a few days later, but dozens of Palestinian journalists are still being held without trial and reportedly subjected to torture and abuse.
We wrote for The Guardian that “If Israel’s theory is that reporters illegally share information with the enemy whenever the enemy reads the news, that could criminalize a whole lot of journalism.”
We argued that the U.S. should not only demand its ally explain Loffredo’s arrest, but pressure it to release the 43 Palestinian journalists who remain in custody if it can’t prove a crime. Many are held under Israel’s “administrative detention” law, which allows for indefinite detention without charge or trial.
“Israel shouldn’t be jailing any journalist who hasn’t committed a real crime, and the US shouldn’t turn a blind eye to its ally’s assaults on the press, let alone finance them,” we wrote.
We also joined Defending Rights & Dissent and Courage Foundation in a letter to the U.S. embassy in Israel calling for action on Loffredo’s case.
