Israeli Journalist Gideon Levy Receives 2026 PEC Award

GUWAHATI, September 21, 2026 — 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 and critical journalism during the period of conflict that followed the October 7, 2023, attacks.

The Geneva-based media safety and rights organisation presents its Prize for the Protection of Journalists annually to an individual or organisation that has distinguished itself in defending press freedom in situations of armed conflict. The award has been presented since 2009.

The PEC said Levy has publicly criticised Israeli government policy concerning Gaza and the West Bank, while continuing his journalistic work despite what it described as significant personal and professional risks.

His weekly column, Twilight Zone, which examines the activities of the Israeli military in the occupied Palestinian territories, has become an example of critical journalism during wartime, according to the PEC.

Levy, now in his seventies, has also faced criticism in Israel from opponents who accuse him of supporting the Palestinian cause.

“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,” Lempen added.

The PEC said independent documentation of military operations is essential for examining possible violations of international humanitarian law and addressing questions of accountability.

The organisation also highlighted its previous recognition of journalists covering the Israel-Palestine conflict. In 2024, its annual award went to Palestinian journalist Iyad Alasttal, who fled Gaza and sought refuge in France. According to the PEC, Alasttal has continued documenting the experiences of Palestinians independently of Hamas.

“We felt it was all the more necessary to honour an Israeli journalist given that Israel is just a few weeks away from elections that will be decisive for its future,” Lempen said.

He added that the PEC hoped Israelis and Palestinians would eventually achieve peaceful coexistence by rejecting extremism on all sides.

The 2025 PEC Award was presented to Kurdish journalist Perihan Kaya. Previous recipients include Arnaud Ouédraogo in 2023, Ekaterina Glikman in 2022 and Assamese journalist Nava Thakuria in 2021.

The Press Emblem Campaign was founded in Geneva in 2004, during the Iraq War, with the aim of strengthening the protection of journalists working in conflict zones.

The organisation has highlighted the continuing risks faced by journalists in conflicts including those in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine and Sudan, as well as by journalists covering violence linked to drug trafficking in Mexico.