Thank you, Madam President, for convening this debate and bringing
awareness and attention to this important subject. Ambassador DiCarlo, may I also add on a
personal note that it is my distinct pleasure to give this statement while you
are presiding over this meeting.
So far this year, 26 journalists have been killed and 175 have been
imprisoned for trying to do their job. Instead
of telling the story, journalists are increasingly becoming the story. We must
be united in our condemnation of those who seek to silence the press and hide
the truth.
Madam President,
As we speak, the Middle East is in flames. From the Straits of
Gibraltar to the Straits of Hormuz, people are crying out for democratic
reforms and freedoms.
The façade of the so-called Arab Spring has fallen away. In its place, there remains the repression,
chaos and confusion that have long defined the region. Attacks on the media are increasing all over
the world, but nowhere is it more dangerous to be a journalist than in the
Middle East.
Madam President,
Every day people all over the globe turn on televisions, open
newspapers and browse the Internet to follow events unfolding in the Middle
East. This information comes to us from the brave men and women who put their lives
on the line to document the bloody insurgencies and revolutions erupting
throughout the region.
Not only do journalists have to contend with censorship,
intimidation and abduction, they are now becoming the deliberate targets of
violence. From Baghdad to Damascus and
from Tehran to Khartoum, journalists are being beaten, raped, tortured and
killed.
Madam President,
Journalism is the public loudspeaker for the brave men and women
who have taken to the streets demanding to be heard. Yet in much of the Middle East, their voices and their stories are
being stifled.
By restricting these voices, the Arab states are restricting their
ability to develop their societies and improve the lives of their
citizens. The scrutiny that goes
hand-in-hand with an independent media is essential to holding government accountable
to its citizens. Every voice must have
the chance to be heard – especially the voices of dissent and marginalized
members of society.
Madam President,
In Israel, freedom of the press is woven into the very fabric of
our democratic society. We have no
shortage of media outlets that report on every facet of society and very often,
demand better of our government and our leaders.
Our commitment to the free exchange of ideas has made Israel a
destination of choice for many reporters. Journalists in Israel don’t have to
fear the arbitrary arrests, imprisonments and executions common in the
totalitarian states that make up the rest of our region.
The very liberties that Israel provides are both a blessing and a
curse. While we are immensely proud of
our democratic institutions, they often result in the burden of condemnation
falling on Israel.
After all, foreign journalists would much sooner face news cameras
in Tel Aviv than bullets in Damascus or torture in Tehran. Some reporters choose to focus their scrutiny
on the Middle East’s only real democracy. Rather than risking their safety, these
journalists flock to Israel knowing there will be few repercussions and quite possibly
a Pulitzer Prize for their efforts.
Despite all the challenges that go hand-in-hand with an independent
media, there is no doubt in my mind that the benefits outweigh the costs. As Thomas Jefferson said, “Our liberty
depends on the freedom of the press. It cannot be limited without being lost.”
Freedom, democracy and tolerance are a heavy burden – and Israel is
proud to carry them. With more reporters and human-rights activists per capita
than anywhere else on the planet, Israel understands that a society cannot
truly be free until its citizens have the right to ask questions, challenge the
status quo, and openly speak their minds.
Madam President,
Democracy with all its drawbacks is worth far more than any
dehumanizing and destructive dictatorship.
Attacks against journalists are not simply attacks on individuals; they
are attacks on freedom - on freedom of speech, freedom of expression and
freedom of the press. Those who try to silence journalists are in fact trying
to silence the voices of millions of people whose stories deserve to be told.
Thank you, Madam President.