Geneva, Sept 18 (V7N) – Israeli journalist Gideon Levy, a member of the editorial board of the daily newspaper Haaretz, has received the 2026 Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) Award for his independent reporting and critical analysis during the period of conflict and political upheaval that Israel has experienced since Oct. 7, 2023.
The Geneva-based media safety and press rights organisation presents its annual Prize for the Protection of Journalists to an individual or organisation that has distinguished itself in defending press freedom in situations involving armed violence. The award has been presented annually since 2009.
According to the PEC, Levy has openly criticised Israeli policies concerning Gaza and the West Bank while facing significant personal and professional risks. His weekly column, Twilight Zone, which examines the activities of the Israeli military, has been cited by the organisation as an example of critical journalism during wartime.
Levy, who is in his seventies, has also faced criticism in Israel from opponents who accuse him of supporting Palestinians.
“By awarding him the PEC Prize, we want to show that it is possible, even in a country at war, to take a critical stance and defend fundamental principles of press freedom such as independence, impartiality and transparency,” PEC chief Blaise Lempen said at the award ceremony. “Gideon Levy’s courageous struggle is exemplary in this regard.”
The PEC said independent documentation of military operations is essential for investigating potential violations of international humanitarian law and combating impunity.
In 2024, the organisation presented its annual award to Palestinian journalist Iyad Alasttal, a Gaza-based journalist who later sought refuge in France. The PEC said Alasttal, who is independent of Hamas, continues to document the suffering of Palestinians.
Lempen said the PEC considered it particularly important to honour an Israeli journalist ahead of elections in Israel that, according to the organisation, could be decisive for the country’s future.
He also expressed the PEC’s hope that Israelis and Palestinians would eventually achieve peaceful coexistence by rejecting extremism on all sides.
The PEC’s previous award recipients include Kurdish journalist Perihan Kaya in 2025, Alasttal in 2024, Arnaud Ouédraogo in 2023, Ekaterina Glikman in 2022 and Nava Thakuria in 2021.
The Press Emblem Campaign was founded in Geneva 22 years ago during the Iraq War with the aim of strengthening the protection of journalists working in conflict zones. Since its establishment in 2004, the organisation has focused on the risks faced by journalists covering armed conflicts and organised violence, including in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine and Sudan, as well as violence linked to drug trafficking in Mexico.
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