Letters: Protect journalists in Gaza; Problems can’t be solved by war

Protect journalists in Gaza

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 94 media workers have been killed this year. Sixty-eight of them died in Gaza, the “overwhelming majority” of them Palestinian journalists dying in Israeli strikes.

The conflict is the deadliest for media workers since CPJ began tracking deaths in 1992. Over a journalist a day has died since the beginning of the conflict on Oct. 7. A recent report from Agence France-Presse, Amnesty International, Reuters and Human Rights Watch found that an Oct. 13 strike by the Israeli Defense Forces that killed a Reuters journalist was likely a deliberate attack on civilian targets, constituting a war crime.

This is not new. The CPJ report “Deadly Pattern” documented 20 journalists killed directly by the IDF, without any military personnel held responsible. That includes Palestinian American reporter Shireen Abu Akleh, who was shot reporting on an Israeli raid at the Jenin refugee camp in 2022. After initially denying responsibility, the IDF acknowledged there was a “high possibility” she was shot by an Israeli soldier.

My union, The NewsGuild-CWA, has condemned targeting journalists, and condemned Israeli ministers comparing journalists to “terrorists.” Journalists are important voices for the voiceless. There is no time in which we need them more than in times of war.

All parties to any conflict must respect the Geneva Convention’s Article 79 protections for journalists and respect that, as TNG-CWA states, journalists must be able to “document tragedy as it unfolds and shine a light on a dark world.”

Problems can’t be solved by war

Although there is a moral imperative for Israel to destroy Hamas in retaliation, there is a greater imperative to not inflict murder on the innocent. In Gaza there is too much collateral damage.

The war should stop, prisoners be exchanged and a truth and reconciliation commission be set up to create a two-state solution on non-violent principles.

All of us know we cannot solve problems by war — in war we shatter a demon mask created by mutual hatred and release the soul to paradise.

Only when we discover our mutual humanity can the words come to heal this troubled land.

Column omissions and comparisons

It was nice to see Charles Dumas found employment down at Tyler Perry Studios. The rest of his ramblings in his Dec. 11 column are in need of response. The column title claims the upcoming election is the most “critical” election. We hear that refrain from partisans on both the right and left. A sentiment expressed in 2008, 2016 and 2020, but alas, we are still here, this remarkable republic survives.

In the 20 plus column inches of musings Charles mentions visiting the office of Atlanta prosecutor and “Shero” Fani Willis. Willis has brought charges of conspiracy against former President Trump. This appears to please Charles. However, he fails to mention the recent agreement by Willis to a $500 fine as punishment for the arson of a fast food restaurant causing hundreds of thousands in damages and the unemployment of dozens. Partisanship can lead to poor judgment.

Finally, Charles claims 2024 to be the most critical since 1860 when Republicans came to power, leading to “the Civil War, the costliest disaster our country suffered until the COVID-19 plague.” I am unsure what to make of that observation, except to say apples and oranges, or is he implying electing Republicans leads to costly disasters?