Jerusalem - Major international media organizations protested against Israel Thursday because it has prevented journalists from entering the Gaza Strip for nearly two weeks now. The media organizations sent a letter to caretaker Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, saying they were "gravely concerned" about the denial of access to the Gaza Strip to foreign journalists, which they called "unprecedented."
The letter, signed by the presidents, directors and editors in chief of such outlets as ABC news, the BBC, CNN, the Associated Press, Reuters and the New York Times, urged Israel to "immediately" restore access to Gaza for international journalists "in the spirit of Israel's longstanding commitment to a free press."
Israel has for the past two weeks slapped a near-total closure on Gaza, allowing only basic humanitarian aid through its border crossings with the strip in response to renewed rocket fire.
Olmert's spokesman, Mark Regev, said Israel had issued no specific ban on the entry of journalists into Gaza, but said they were prevented from entering the strip as part of Israel's policy to allow in only "essential humanitarian supplies."
"Our position is clear. Israel believes in the freedom of press. Israeli and international journalists who work in Israel know full well that they can work in complete freedom and the Arab journalists in the neighbouring countries can only envy the independence and the freedom of the media in Israel," he told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
"Unfortunately because of the continued fighting the crossings into Gaza have not been able to function normally and many people, journalists included, have been inconvenienced," he said.
He added Israel was "working and hopeful" that its crossings with Gaza would soon be able to function again as normal.
