Press statement

8 November 2002

Etv's documentary on Palestine and the censorship attempts by the pro-Israeli lobby

The Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI) strongly condemns the aggressive attempts by the pro-Israeli lobby to stop John Pilger's documentary 'Palestine is still the Issue' from being screened on South Africa's free to air Television channel Etv. This documentary was broadcast on the evening of November 6 2002 between 8:00-10:30pm. It exposes pervasive Israeli atrocities in occupied Palestine and the deep humiliation and degradation to which the Zionist government has subjected innocent and defenseless Palestinians.

Furthermore, we are extremely disturbed by reports that the South African Jewish Board of Deputies had, prior to the screening of the documentary, petitioned the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa to impose a prior ban against its flighting.

In addition to these outrageous attempts, Debra Patta who is the producer of 3rd Degree, Etv's current affairs programme that screened the documentary has been subjected to intimidation, harassment, hate mail, physical threats and accusations of racism and anti-Semitism. We cannot help but observe with distaste that the SAJBD has not distanced itself from these appalling acts, neither has it called on its members to refrain from such calumny.

Though the SAJBD and other pro-Israeli lobbies claim that the documentary has been discredited elsewhere for its 'inaccuracy', they have not disproved the fact that it was submitted to a rigorous test by a committee of five Jewish experts on the conflict before being screened on UK's Carlton TV. The experts found the documentary to be reflective of the situation in Palestine. For convenient reasons apparently, the pro-Israel lobby has also forgotten to mention that Michael Green, the head of Carlton TV was heavily criticised by his own colleagues at the TV network for attempting to tarnish the film's factual and historical probity.

The FXI notes that the SAJBD has been party to a range of undemocratic acts including silencing commentary against Israel, intimidating people and orchestrating the invasion of the University of Witwatersrand's Johannesburg College of Education, during an address by former Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Shimon Peres in September 2002.

The FXI firmly cautions the SAJBD including other pro-Israeli lobbies against their illegal and intimidatory practices. We also wish to ask the SAJBD to come alive to the fact that Israel's illegal occupation of Palestine, which has been condemned by a multitude of UN Resolutions, must be immediately brought to an end. Palestinians have a right to freely express themselves in their struggle for self-determination, while the media has a right and a duty to highlight the atrocities being committed against them.

Freedom of expression is impossible under the sort of colonial conditions, which Israel has imposed on the Palestinians and FXI would particularly wish to call for an immediate end to Israel's persistent attacks against independent Palestinian journalists. Sadly, we cannot help but note that the new Israeli cabinet has among its members, individuals who have been fingered for war crimes in Palestine such as Prime Minister Sharon and the new Defence Minister Shaul Moffaz who was recently cited by Amnesty International for atrocities in Nablus and Jenin.

The FXI will remain steadfast in articulating the right to freedom of expression in South Africa and beyond, and will not shy away from directly engaging with any individual or institution which attempt to impose censorship on forms of expression and ideas that they do not agree with.

The FXI requests the BCCSA to exercise its fullest mandate in defence of media freedom in South Africa and not concede to the insidious demands of the pro-Israeli lobby or any other forum that seeks to violate the fundamental right to freedom of expression in the country.

For more information please contact Simon Kimani Ndung'u (083 733 2675), or Jane Duncan (082 786 3600).