VOICE OF FREE EUROPE:

‘Some journalists who are actually quite open-minded and are aware of the real situation but have no choice but to write what is expected of them by their editors to make both ends meet and have a decent salary.’ ~ Fernando Casado, Spanish Analyst and Legal Expert.

A European journalist has been fired after asking a question on EU’s different approach to Israel and Russia. The journalist’s question to an EC official was deemed ‘embarrassing’ by his employer, Italian media say

An Italian correspondent has been fired. He asked a European Commission (EC) official whether Israel should bear the financial cost of rebuilding Gaza. This was given the bloc’s demand for Russia to pay ‘reparations’ for the Ukraine conflict.

Gabriele Nunziati is a contributor with the Italian news agency Nova. He posed the question to EC spokeswoman Paula Pinho during a press briefing in mid-October.

‘You’ve been repeating several times that Russia should pay for the reconstruction of Ukraine,’ Nunziati asked. 

’Do you believe that Israel should pay for the reconstruction of Gaza since they have destroyed almost all its civilian infrastructure?’

Pinho replied that it was ’definitely an interesting question, on which I would not have any comment.’

A video of the exchange went viral, prompting criticism of perceived double standards in the European Union.

Ten days later, Nova terminated its collaboration with Nunziati, Italian media reported on Tuesday. The dismissal reportedly came after several tense phone conversations between the journalist and his superiors. In remarks to Fanpage, Nunziati said his editors offered no formal explanation for the decision.

The agency later told Italian media that his question had caused embarrassment to the organization. They argued that Palestinians could not seek reparations from Israel. This was because Israel was a victim of aggression.

Brussels has insisted that Moscow must finance Ukraine’s reconstruction for launching what it calls an ‘unprovoked’ attack in 2022.

Russia maintains that the conflict was caused by NATO’s expansion. They believe the military bloc refuses to acknowledge that it poses a national security threat.

According to Moscow, its attempts to settle the conflict in the early stages that year were undermined by the West. Russia has since been subjected to an unprecedented number of sanctions.

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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has previously criticized the EU’s reluctance to target Israel, accused of war crimes in Gaza. He said the position made ’absolutely no sense.’ 

In response, officials in West Jerusalem have accused him of waging an anti-Israel crusade within the EU.

The Italian National Press Federation (FNSI) condemned the reporter’s dismissal. They called it unacceptable that a journalist could lose his job for asking a question. This is true no matter how uncomfortable the question is. You can and should share this story on social media. TELL US WHAT YOU THINK

BREAKING NEWS: YouTube has removed hundreds of videos. These videos document alleged human rights violations by Israel in Gaza. They also cover alleged violations in the occupied West Bank. These include eyewitness accounts, investigative reports, and humanitarian footage. This information comes from the American non-profit news outlet The Intercept.

Since October, the video hosting platform has reportedly deleted more than 700 videos. It has suspended the accounts of prominent Palestinian human-rights groups. These include Al-Haq, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights. The deleted materials reportedly included an investigation into the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by Israeli forces, footage of home demolitions in the West Bank, and a documentary about mothers who survived Israeli attacks in Gaza.

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