Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association (AMEJA) is a professional network for journalists of Arab and Middle Eastern descent has issued a guideline for journalists with specific provision of not referring mega-terror outfit Hamas as a terrorist group, while they also want media to refrain from stating Gaza being controlled by Hamas.
AMEJA has hundreds of members from around the world. According to the website of AMEJA, its members trace their origins to Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, and Afghanistan, among other places. They work for organizations such as The Associated Press, Reuters, ABC, Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya, CNN, NBC, The New York Times, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg News.
It is learned that Pakistani members of AMEJA enjoy huge influence on the organization, who, along with Palestinian members have recently made the new rule calling upon its members as well as international media to refrain from referring to Gaza as being controlled by mega-terror outfit Hamas.
It says, “Do not call Gaza “Hamas-controlled.” It is sufficient to say “Gaza,” or “Gaza’s Health Ministry,” for example. While Hamas is the political party in power, Israel still controls Gaza’s boundaries and the movement of people and goods through an ongoing land, air and sea blockade, while Egypt controls the Rafah crossing. Israel is widely recognized as the occupying power by the international community”.
Suggesting news contents with anti-Israel bias it says, “Avoid the word “clashes” in favor of a more precise description. Think twice before describing confrontations between Palestinian protesters and heavily-armed Israeli police reflexively as “clashes.” Confrontations often begin with police dispersing demonstrations using tear gas and rubber bullets”.
Meanwhile, according to credible source, Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association is considering sending letters to Muslim nations around the world to impose ban on publishing contents against Palestine and Hamas. The source further said, this new initiative was taken as the special efforts of AMEJA members from Syria, Lebanon [Hezbollah inclined], Palestine, Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey.
