Group of Democratic senators ask Rubio to press Israel on press access in Gaza

A group of 17 US senators send a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling for the United States to press Israel to grant access and protection to journalists in Gaza.

“The United States must make it clear to Israel that banning and censoring media organizations and targeting or threatening members of the press is unacceptable and must stop,” the Democratic senators say in a statement.

The letter to Rubio, a staunch supporter of Israel, says: “We urge you to press the Israeli government to protect journalists in Gaza and allow international media to access the territory.”

Last week, an Israeli strike killed four journalists for Al Jazeera, including Qatari television correspondent Anas al-Sharif, as well as two freelance journalists. The Israel Defense Forces has accused Sharif of being a Hamas operative, while alleging several of those with him were also members of terror groups.

The attack spurred an international outcry.

The letter condemns the attack, writing: “Absent a compelling explanation of the military objective for this attack, it appears Israel is publicly admitting to targeting and killing journalists who have shown the world the scale of suffering in Gaza, which would be a violation of international law.”

Among the signatories are Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz, Virginia Senator Tim Kaine and 13 other Democratic senators, as well as Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, a registered independent who caucuses with the Democrats.