Court to state: Let foreign media into Gaza when borders open

The Supreme Court on Sunday ordered the government to allow free access to Gaza for foreign correspondents, rejecting a ban imposed even before the recent Israeli offensive there.

The ruling came in response to an appeal by the Foreign Press Association, representing reporters based in Israel and the Palestinian areas, to overturn the ban.

The court ruling said the government must allow access to reporters whenever the borders are otherwise open. The court said it assumed the crossings would be closed only in dire circumstances of concrete danger.

The FPA welcomed the ruling. "We believe this decision upholds Israel's own stated commitment to freedom of the press," the FPA said in a statement.

Gilead Sher, attorney for the organization, said the ruling reinforces the protection of freedom of the press and the freedom of movement as fundamental rights that could be restricted only under extreme circumstances.

Since the offensive ended, Israel has restored access to Gaza for reporters. Israel imposed restrictions on entry to Gaza in early November as a cease-fire with Gaza's Hamas rulers began to fray. It tightened the rules after launching a military offensive December 27 and ignored a Supreme Court order six days later to allow limited access to international reporters.

Though the ban was instituted well before heavy fighting began, the government argued the security situation made it unsafe for journalists to visit.

News groups charged that Israel wanted to manage coverage of the fighting and said the restrictions violated press freedom. Some Israeli officials said they wanted to restrict access to Gaza out of concern that foreign correspondents would report unfavorably toward Israel.

In the Gaza campaign, Israel appeared to be trying to reverse course from an open access policy during its 2006 war with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Some critics of the policy believed the free access backfired, resulting in the airing of grievances by Israeli soldiers and other reports unfavorable to Israel.