WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today met with Dylan Collins, a Vermonter and video journalist for the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency, who was attacked and wounded by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) while reporting in Southern Lebanon. Representatives for Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Representative Becca Balint (D-VT-At Large) also attended the meeting.
The Vermont Congressional Delegation released the following statement of support for Mr. Collins:
“For two years, we have sought accountability for Dylan Collins, a Vermonter who was wounded in a targeted attack on international journalists in southern Lebanon by Israeli Defense Forces. A Reuters journalist was killed instantly, AFP’s Christina Assi suffered catastrophic injuries, including losing her right leg, and Mr. Collins and four others were wounded by shrapnel. Multiple credible independent investigations indicate that the attack by Israeli soldiers was a deliberate targeting of individuals who were clearly identified as journalists.
“We have demanded answers from both the Biden and Trump Administrations. The United States government has a responsibility to investigate and obtain accountability for an attack on an American citizen. This Administration has yet to recognize this obligation to Mr. Collins. Our delegation will continue to seek accountability for this shocking misuse of lethal force through legislation, including restrictions on taxpayer-funded weapons for Israel.”
Independent investigations conducted by Reuters, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Agence France-Presse (AFP), and others have concluded that the IDF’s October 2023 attack on international journalists, including Dylan Collins, in southern Lebanon was targeted and deliberate.
Nine American citizens, including Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, have been killed by IDF forces or settlers since 2022. The killings have been met by a lack of accountability from the Israeli government and a pattern of indifference by the U.S. government. These failures have contributed to an unacceptable culture of impunity when it comes to ensuring accountability for the deaths of Americans, journalists, and tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians in the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria.
Reports by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) have revealed that at least 186 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, and Lebanon since the conflict began on October 7, 2024, making it the deadliest period for journalists since CPJ began gathering data in 1992.
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