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September 17, 2025 – General –
At the 2025 World Meeting on Human Fraternity in Rome, AJ+ Managing Director Dima Khatib delivered a powerful speech condemning the complicity of global media in what she described as Israel’s genocide against Palestinians. Speaking before an international audience convened by the Vatican, Khatib urged journalists and media institutions to acknowledge their responsibility in shaping narratives that too often erase or sanitize the suffering in Gaza. Her remarks drew an immediate standing ovation, underscoring the resonance of her message.
Khatib emphasized that the ongoing war in Gaza has become the deadliest conflict for journalists in modern history, with dozens killed while bearing witness to atrocities. She argued that silence and selective coverage from many mainstream outlets has allowed impunity to persist, shielding Israel’s actions from full accountability in the court of public opinion. For her, the crisis is not only one of war but also one of storytelling, where the lives and voices of Palestinians are consistently marginalized.
Her intervention connected the systematic killing of journalists in Gaza to the broader dismantling of truth, asserting that attacks on the press are intended to erase evidence and prevent the world from seeing the reality of collective punishment. Khatib reminded attendees that independent journalism is not merely a profession but a lifeline for humanity’s conscience, especially in contexts of mass atrocity.
The standing ovation that followed her speech reflected both solidarity with journalists under fire and recognition of the Vatican meeting’s theme of fraternity and moral responsibility. Several participants reportedly expressed support for Gaza’s press corps, echoing Khatib’s call for urgent international protection for reporters who continue to risk their lives documenting the war.
Khatib’s remarks come amid intensifying advocacy efforts to defend press freedom in Palestine, with organizations such as Reporters Without Borders, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and the International Federation of Journalists all demanding investigations into the unprecedented targeting of media workers.
Her speech in Rome highlighted a growing global demand for accountability, both for the killings themselves and for the silence of institutions that should be defending truth. In framing journalism as central to human fraternity, Khatib reminded the world that solidarity begins with telling the truth, even when power would prefer it remain hidden.
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