Ammon News - The Faculty of Mass Communication at Yarmouk University, like other members of the great Jordanian people, follow with great pain and sadness what the Palestinian brothers in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank were exposed to in terms of horrific war crimes and genocide pursued by the Zionist war machine. It resulted in the martyrdom of about 15,000 Palestinian civilians, including more than 6,000 children and 4,000 women, in addition to the ruthless destruction of homes, hospitals, schools, mosques, and churches.

The position of Yarmouk University is a fixed and unchanging position towards the Palestinian issue as it is the central issue of Jordan. These positions are derived from the consistent position of the Hashemite leadership, expressed repeatedly by His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein in all regional and international forums, regarding the historical right of the Palestinian people to establish their Independent state on its national territory, with Jerusalem as its capital.

Based on the mission of Yarmouk University, the Faculty of Mass Communication, represented by its faculty and administrative members and students, denounces in the strongest terms the crimes of the Israeli occupation against the Palestinians in occupied Palestine, and also deplores and strongly condemns the war crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against journalists during their field work covering the brutal aggression against the Gaza and the West Bank; Which resulted in the death of 66 journalists, including 6 female journalists, in addition to the martyrdom of 3 journalists and the injury of 6 others in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli occupation committed its crimes against journalists for fear of transmitting the hideous picture of its crimes to the world, and as an attempt to silence the voice of truth and extinguish the eye of truth that worked to expose the war crimes and atrocities committed by the occupier in Gaza, and to reveal its crimes of killing, demolition and deliberate displacement against innocent civilians in Gaza Strip.

What the Israeli killing machine is committing against journalists is considered a clear violation and clear discord of all international conventions that guarantee the right of journalists to practice their work freely during crises and wars, with the need to protect them and not target them. The Israeli occupation has violated UN Security Council Resolution No. 1738 issued in 2006, which stipulates “Condemn deliberate attacks against journalists, media personnel and associated individuals during armed conflicts. Equate the safety and security of journalists, media and supporting personnel in areas of armed conflict with the protection of civilians there, consider journalists and independent reporters as civilians who must be respected and treated as such, and consider media facilities and equipment as civilian objects that may not be the target of any attacks or reprisals".

The Faculty of Mass Communication also draws attention to what is stipulated in Article 79 of the Additional Protocol annexed to the 1949 Geneva Convention for the Protection of Civilians in Military Conflicts, which stipulates that “civilian journalists who perform their duties in areas of armed conflict must be respected and treated as civilians, and protected from every form of intentional attack, provided that they do not act inconsistent with their status as civilians.”

The Faculty of Mass Communication is surprised by the complete silence of international community organizations and international press and human rights unions regarding the massacres committed against journalists, and condemns this suspicious silence, which violates the lowest ethics and humanitarian standards and the legal measures that must be taken against the perpetrators of these brutal crimes, In accordance with the Rome basic principles of the International Criminal Court. And it also calls on the international community, with its journalistic and human rights institutions and organizations, to stop the hypocrisy in dealing with double standards towards the practices of the Israeli occupation against the Palestinians.

The Faculty of Mass Communication also warns against the silence of the international community, especially Western countries, regarding the crimes committed by the occupation against civilians and journalists, which serves as a green light for the occupation to commit its crimes in cold blood, calling for an immediate stop to targeting journalists working in the areas that are being bombed in Gaza and the West Bank and southern Lebanon. It calls for the necessity of holding the Israeli occupation accountable for its crimes committed daily against innocent civilians and journalists, without any consideration to human values or adherence to international laws and conventions.

The Faculty of Mass Communication does not forget the 31 fellow journalists imprisoned in the occupation prisons from the West Bank. Those who have been arrested by the occupation army since October 7, and all international journalistic and human rights organizations are calling for pressure on the occupation by all means to release them immediately.

The Faculty of Mass Communication at Yarmouk University, as the pioneer of mass communication faculties in Jordan and the Arab region, which has contributed and continues to contribute to the graduation of distinguished journalists and media professionals in their work in various media institutions, expresses its support for journalists working in danger zones in beloved Palestine, and sends them messages of greeting, love and support for their professional outstanding performance, despite being exposed to all forms of risks and threats.

May God have mercy on the Palestinian martyrs, civilians and journalists, and heal their afflictions and relieve their distress soon. May God preserve Jordan's homeland, leadership, and the people who are supportive and compassionate to their brothers in Palestine.