The Faculty of Mass Communication at Yarmouk University, like other institutes in Jordan, is observing with great pain and sadness the horrific war crimes and genocide pursued by the Zionist war machine against Palestinians in Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Based on the mission of Yarmouk University, the Faculty of Mass Communication, represented by its faculty and administrative members and students, denounces the killing of 15,000 Palestinian civilians, including more than 6,000 children and 4,000 women, as well as the ruthless destruction of homes, hospitals, schools, mosques, and churches. Also, it deplores and strongly condemns the many crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against journalists during their field work covering the brutal aggression against Gaza and the West Bank, which has caused -so far- the death of 66 journalists, including 6 female journalists.
The Israeli occupation committed its crimes against journalists for fear of transmitting the hideous picture of its crimes to the world and in an attempt to suppress the voice of truth and extinguish the eye of truth that work to expose war crimes and atrocities committed by the occupier in Gaza. Thus, what the Israeli killing machine is committing against journalists in Gaza and the West Bank is considered a clear violation and clear discord of all international conventions that guarantee the right of journalists to practice their work freely during crises and wars. In fact, the Israeli occupation has violated UN Security Council Resolution No. 1738 issued in 2006, which stipulates: “Condemn deliberate attacks against journalists, media personnel and associated individuals during armed conflicts. Equate the safety and security of journalists, media and supporting personnel in areas of armed conflict with the protection of civilians there, view journalists and independent reporters as civilians who must be respected and treated as such, and consider media facilities and equipment as civilian objects that may not be the target of any attacks or reprisals.”
Moreover, the Faculty of Mass Communication draws attention to what is stipulated in Article 79 of the Additional Protocol annexed to the 1949 Geneva Convention for the Protection of Civilians in Military Conflicts, which stipulates that “civilian journalists who perform their duties in areas of armed conflict must be respected and treated as civilians, and protected from every form of intentional attack, provided that they do not act inconsistent with their status as civilians.”
The Faculty of Mass Communication is shocked by the complete silence of international community organizations and international press and human rights unions regarding the massacres committed against journalists, condemning such suspicious silence, which violates the ethics and humanitarian standards and the legal measures that must be taken against the perpetrators of these brutal crimes in accordance with the Rome basic principles of the International Criminal Court. The Faculty also calls on the international community, with its journalistic and human rights institutions and organizations, to stop the hypocrisy in dealing with double standards towards the practices of the Israeli occupation against Palestinians. The Faculty calls for the necessity of holding the Israeli occupation accountable for its crimes committed daily against innocent civilians and journalists without any consideration of human values or adherence to international laws and conventions.
Besides, the Faculty confirms that the 31 fellow journalists from the West Bank imprisoned in occupation prisons will never get forgotten. They should get released, and all international journalistic and human rights organizations should practice the required pressure on the Israeli occupation to release imprisoned journalists immediately. Thus, the Faculty of Mass Communication at Yarmouk University, as the pioneer of mass communication faculties in Jordan and the Arab region, expresses its support for journalists working in danger zones in Palestine and offers them much greeting, love, and support for their professional outstanding performance despite all risks and threats.
May God have mercy on Palestinian martyrs, civilians, and journalists, heal their afflictions, and relieve their distress soon. May God preserve Jordan's homeland, leadership and the people who are supportive and compassionate to their brothers in Palestine.
