Gabriele Nunziata dared to question Israel — now he’s sacked

Italian journalist Gabriele Nunziata has been sacked by his employer, Agenzia Nova, for daring to ask the European Commission (EC) last month why Israel shouldn’t pay to rebuild Gaza like the EC is demanding that Russia pay to rebuild the parts of Ukraine destroyed in its war with that country.

Nunziata has posted today on Instagram to confirm that “Yes, I lost my job because of a question I asked about Israel”. He then explained what he experienced – and his continued defiance:

Last week I received a letter from Agenzia Nova informing me that our working relationship had been terminated. The decision came after I asked the European Commission the following question on October 13: “You have repeatedly said that Russia should pay for the reconstruction of Ukraine. Do you believe that Israel should also pay for the reconstruction of Gaza, given that it destroyed much of the Strip and its civilian infrastructure?”. I learned through phone calls that my question had not been appreciated by my agency. Then on October 27, I received a letter informing me that the working relationship would end on December 1.

In the note sent by Agenzia Nova to [Italian outlet] Fanpage, the decision to terminate our collaboration was justified on the grounds that the question was “technically incorrect” and based on inadequate assumptions that would call into question the objectivity of my work as a journalist.

My question can only be considered biased if one needs to deny reality. It is a fact that Israel has almost completely razed Gaza to the ground; this is not an opinion. It is a fact that the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity against Benjamin Netanyahu and some of his ministers. These, and many others, are facts. On the contrary, it would be biased to deny them and not question them.

I fully stand by the legitimacy of my question. The right choices sometimes come at a cost, and I do not regret having paid it.

Gabriele Nunziata becomes the latest in a string of journalists sacked by ‘mainstream’ media after challenging Israeli actions and narratives, like former LBC presenter Sangita Myska, Sky’s Belle Donati, and six BBC Arabic presenters, along with three Muslim journalists at US broadcaster MSNBC — and Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker. The ‘mainstream’ sackings have been inflicted alongside Keir Starmer’s ‘lawfare’ war on independent journalists who dare to expose Israel’s crimes in Gaza and elsewhere.

Featured image via L’Espresso