Ramallah- The violations against media freedoms in Palestine continuously increased during June 2015; especially when compared to the few previous months.
The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) monitored 48 violations against media freedoms in the West Bank and Gaza Strip during June; 27 violations were committed by Palestinian sides, while the Israeli occupation committed 21.
It was noticeable that the Palestinian violations during June exceeded the Israeli violations unlike the previous months. The amount of the complicated violations shows how simple and easy it is to violate media and journalists by official Palestinian sides.
Palestinian violations
The Palestinian sides committed the largest number of violations against media in June; where 27 violations were committed (12 in the West Bank and 15 in the Gaza Strip).
This number equals 56% of the total violations that were monitored; which is rare since the Israeli violations throughout the years committed the largest number and the most serious violations in Palestine.
It was noticeable this month that the Palestinian official sides took a concerning path where it was easy to violate the media; where the Preventive Security Forces arrested the media student at Al-Asriyye college Mohammad Ali Ateeq and summoned him claiming that he accuses the Palestinian Security Forces of betrayal. This accusation against Ateeq are based on a picture he shared on Facebook showing him involved in a camp that was organized by the Palestinian National Security forces for the journalists.
On 15/6 the Palestinian Security Forces prevented Al-Quds Satellite TV correspondent Mamdooh Hamamre from covering or entering the International Tourism Conference in Bethlehem, they also dragged him to the preventive security headquarters after he peacefully opposed.
Al-Jazeera Net correspondent Awad Ibrahim Rujoub was also prevented from covering the same conference; he was expelled from the hall after opposing against preventing him and other journalists from covering the event. In addition, Palestine Public TV cameraman Shamekh Al-Jaghoub was injured while he was covering clashes in Silwad east Ramallah.
On 16/6 in Gaza, the Internal Security Forces summoned Al-Nahar Palestinian News Agency director Mr. Hani Al-Agha 3 times in a row; they interrogated him, raided his house and seized his equipment. On the same day, Al-Akhbar Lebanese Newspaper correspondent Amjad Ayman Yaghi was threatened by a family of one woman of those killed in Gaza, after an investigative report he wrote about the women killing crimes.
On 17/6 the Palestinian Police in Gaza assaulted the Guardian British Newspaper correspondent Hazem Khalil Ba’looshe and his colleagues; the cameraman Macio and the Guardian online anchor Mrs. Fedi, they also prevented them from coverage, detained them and seized their equipment. They also arrested Ba’looshe after driving him to the police station.
On 19/6 the police assaulted and detained the member of the General Secretariat of the Journalists’ Syndicate and the French News Agency photographer Mousa Ahmad Al-Sha’er. On the other hand, some individuals threatened Ma’an News Agency and TV correspondent in Ramallah Firas Tannine, they libeled him and accused him of apostasy through a post they published on a website called “Pal Weather” on 22/6.
The Israeli violations
The Israeli violations during June came in different forms; arrests, physical assaults, ban from traveling and prevention from coverage.
On 1/6 the Israeli occupation forces arrested the journalist at “Al-Quds Press International” news agency in the West Bank Ahmad Al-Betawi at the dawn. On the same day, the IOF refused to give the Chinese news agency “Xinhua” photographer Nidal Eshtayye a permit to get medication at the eye hospital in Jerusalem; after he was injured in his eye by a rubber bullet fired at him by the IOF.
On 2/6 The IOF prevented Al-Quds.com correspondent Mohammad Al-Adam and Palestine Public TV cameraman Shamekh Al-Jaghoub from covering the settlers attacking Al-Aroub camp near Hebron.
On 9/6 “My Arena” media network website was hacked by an Israeli source; after they published a report about Israel’s experiment of the “Dirty bomb”.
On 12/6 the IOF forcibly prevented four journalists (Palestine Public TV correspondent Ali Dar Ali, the photojournalist Jihad Al-Qadi, the French Agency photographer Abbas Momani and Mohammad Turkman) from covering clashes new Al-Jalazoun camp near Ramallah. The IOF assaulted them and fired teargas and stun grenades towards them.
On 19/6 the IOF assaulted, detained and interrogated AP news agency cameraman Imad Sa’eed, on 25/6 the Israeli police detained and interrogated Quds Press International news agency correspondent Fatima Abu Sbetan, they also exiled her from Al-Aqsa mosque for 15 days.
On 20/6 the IOF prevented Falisteen Al-Yaum TV staff (the TV correspondent Raghda Nour Addin Atme and the cameraman Ata Awad) from covering the fallout of the killing of a settlers in Der Bzigh village in Ramallah, they also detained and interrogated them.
On 21/6 the IOF banned the vice head of the journalists’ syndicate and the chief editor at Al-Haya Al-Jadida Newspaper in Gaza Tahsin Al-Astal from entering the West Bank to participate in the meeting of the syndicate’s general secretariat.
On 29/6 the IOF detained Wattan TV staff (the correspondents Aysar Barghouthi & Hamza Salayme and the cameraman Amjad Shoman), they also prevented them from making a report about a historical place between the villages of Bet Ello and Der Ammar north west of Ramallah.
The violations’ details:
(1/6)- The Israeli occupation forces arrested the journalist at “Al-Quds Press International” news agency in the West Bank Ahmad Al-Betawi at the dawn. His brother Fadel reported to MADA: “The IOF raided my brother’s house in Al-Dahye neighborhood east Nablus at 2:30 AM, and interrogated him for few minutes, at that time; they were also examining his house that’s when they seized his computer.”
He added: “Previously my brother was released after 4 months of arrest provided to being under house-arrest for 8 months; he was not allowed to leave his house except for one hour daily. He has a court session on the 7th of this month.”
On 20/6 Ahmad’s hearing session was hold for the 4th time since he was arrested, the court decided to extend his detention for another 5 days. He appeared to another court; where he was accused of violating the house-arrest conditions and of receiving money from illegal sides (Quds Press news agency), his next hearing session will be held on 1st of July.
(1/6)- The IOF refused to give the Chinese news agency “Xinhua” photographer Nidal Eshtayye (aged 45) a permit to get medication at the eye hospital in Jerusalem; after he was injured in his eye by a rubber bullet fired at him by the IOF while he was covering a demonstration in Kafr Qadoum. He reported to MADA: “The Israeli lawyer Itay Mack told me that the Israeli authority refused to give me a permit to get treatment at St. John eye hospital. He also told me that the Shabak strongly refuse to give me the permit and that the Israelis are who injured me and they do not want to offer me treatment.”
He added: “On 2/6 the Red Cross visited me at home; since they follow up with my injury, they called the Israeli liaison asking them to give me the permit but they refused. This forced me to travel to Jordan to get my treatment, I have internal bleeding in my eye in addition to high pressure in it and blur in sight. He explained: “I kept having my treatment in Jordan; where the bleeding is getting better though it gets worse when I move, the pressure of my eye is still high and instable. The doctor told me that I have rupture in my eye’s pupil and that I lost 40% of my sight, he also told me that the retina is healthy. I have a check on 28/7 and I will still have 3 other checks.”
(2/6)- The IOF prevented Al-Quds.com correspondent Mohammad Al-Adam and Palestine Pubic TV cameraman Shamekh Al-Jaghoub from covering the settlers taking over Al-Barake house in Al-Aroub camp in Hebron. Al-Adam reported to MADA: “I went with my colleague Al-Jaghoub to make a report about Al-Barake house which the settlers are trying to take over it. When we arrived the IOF told us that we are not allowed to film the area, they only allowed us film from far away otherwise we should leave immediately, and we left.”
(8/6)- The Preventive Security Forces summoned, arrested and detained the media student at Al-Asriyye College Mohammad Ateeq more than once in a row claiming that he accuses the Palestinian Security Forces of betrayal. This accusation against Ateeq are based on a picture he shared on Facebook showing him involved in a camp that was organized by the Palestinian national Security forces for the journalists.
Ateeq reported to MADA: “The preventive security forces called me on 8/6 and told me to go to their headquarters on the next day at 9:00 o’clock. When I went, they interrogated me claiming that I accuse the security forces of betrayal based on a photo of me shared on the page “Ana Bazawed” on Facebook. This page shared the photos of all the journalists who participated in the “coexistence camp” for the national security, I commented on the photos “The security forces test to cooperate with the occupation”. In addition to that, they interrogated me about the issues my brother and father were arrested for previously.”
He added: “On the next day, they sent me to the General Prosecution; they did not interrogate me until I was released at 10 o’clock on 10/6 after they let me sign my testimony and that I should come back on 13/6 to the preventive security headquarters; where they kept my ID seized.”
He added: “I went on 13/6 and stayed in the waiting room from 10:00 AM until 3:00 PM without interrogating me. They told me to come back on 15/6 at 10:00 AM, I went and I waited for 5 hours until they released me and told me to come back the next day. On the next day, I waited from 11:30 am until 2:00 with interrogating me, they gave me my ID (I lost my driving license that was with the ID) and released me.”
(9/6)- My Arena Media Network website was hacked by Israeli sources after the website published a report about the Israeli experiment on a “Dirty bomb”. They network’s director Baha’ De’ebis reported to MADA: “On 9/6 at 4:00 pm our website was hacked and suddenly disappeared, even though that our website is hosted by a company in USA.”
He added: “It appeared lately that the website was subjected to 14 thousand hits in 15 minutes. 486 persons participated in this attack and its source was Israel (more than 70% of it), it lasted for 8 hours (until 12:00 am).”
He said: “The attack started minutes after we published a report about Israel’s experiment on a “Dirty bomb” and we think it is related to that. The attack is still happening until now (11/6/2015) but the hackers could not reach the archive or the website’s information because of the interference of the hosting company. Though they succeeded in stopping the website and they are still attacking it.”
(12/6)- The IOF prevented 4 journalists from covering clashes near Al-Jalazoun camp near Ramallah; they assaulted them and fired teargas and stun grenades at them. Palestine Public TV correspondent Ali Dar Ali reported to MADA: “On Friday we headed to cover the clashes near Al-Jalazoun, we were a group of journalists (the photographer Jihad Al-Qadi, AFP photographer Abbas Momani and Mohammad Turkman). The IOF prevented us from covering the clashes that happened there even though we were far away. We left to another far place but the soldiers came again and pushed us to leave the place, they also tried to break our cameras even though we were wearing the journalists’ vests. Again we moved to another place; where they fired teargas and stun grenades towards us, they physically assaulted us, pushed us and prevented us from covering the clashes.”
(12/6)- Palestine Public TV Shamekh Al-Jaghoub was injured in his head by a stone. He reported to MADA: “During the clashes in Silwad the IOF prevented the journalists from coverage, at that time I was hit by a stone in my head, I had slight injuries and I was treated with ice packs.”
(15/6)- The Palestinian security forces banned Al-Quds satellite TV correspondent Mamdooh Hamamre from covering or entering the International Tourism Conference in Bethlehem, they also dragged him to the preventive security headquarters after he peacefully protested. It should be pointed that Hamamre had a card that allows him to cover the conference.
Hamamre reported to MADA: “We “the journalists” issued media coverage permits in order to enter the Conference Palace in Bethlehem to cover the international tourism conference. When we arrived one of the security officers- who was plain clothed- banned me specifically from entering the conference hall, without giving any reason.
Hamamre added: “After being banned, I protested in front of the conference palace holding a sign reading that I am a journalist who was banned from entering the hall and covering the conference. Afterwards, the security forces attacked and severely pushed me, they also threatened me if I do not leave. When I refused, they dragged me to the preventive security headquarters; where the officer told me that my message is delivered even the ministers knew my story. The officer also told me that he will try to tell me the reasons I was banned from entering.”
It should be pointed that Hamamre was banned from entering the president Abbas’ office in Bethlehem to cover a meeting with the Turkish Minister of Al-Awqaf last month.
(15/6)- The security guards of the International Tourism Conference in Bethlehem banned and expelled Al-Jazeera Net correspondent Awad Rujoub from the hall for protesting against the prevention.
Rujoub reported to MADA: “When we entered the hall, the journalists were sent to a place that is far from the main hall; where it was difficult to cover from that distance. After the journalists objected, they allowed the cameramen to go for a closer place, followed by them were the news agencies’ photographers but they did not allow me to join them, after that they allowed the correspondents to enter but they also did not allow me to join them claiming that I was holding a camera.”
Rujoub added: “Three other journalists and I waited for almost one hour; the security prevented us from leaving the place or meeting with the media officer. They finally allowed us to go to the hall when the conference started, but at the hall’s entrance one of the security guards did not want me to enter, another one asked for my journalism card. When I asked for the reason they are banning us, one of them told me to leave and sent another security guard with me to the palace’s gate.”
(16/6)- The internal security forces in Gaza summoned Al-Nahar Palestinian News Agency director Mr. Hani Al-Agha 4 times in a row; they interrogated him, raided his house and seized his equipment. He reported to MADA: “On 16/6 the internal security forces sent me summon telling me to go to their headquarters on 18/6 at 9:00 am. When I went, they took my phone and ID, then they sent me to the detention room, I sat on a chair in the corner of the room facing the wall and waited for 3 hours.”
He added: “Two of the security forces interrogated me about my work as a journalist and who do we deal with (as journalists) in Ramallah, who are my Facebook friends, what is my relation with Fatah. The interrogation lasted for 3 hours without any accusation and I was facing the wall during it, they did not allow me to turn or look at them, later; they also blind folded me.
At 3:00 pm they gave me my phone and ID back, they released me and told me to return on 26/6.
Al-Agha explained that he went on time, they took his ID and phone and sent him to the detention room with the same previous position, he stayed there from 9:00 am until 1:00 pm; and then they started interrogating him. He said: “The security forces went to my house and seized my laptop, computer and phone, I do not know if they took any documents. They released me at 4:30 pm and told me to return on 29/6.”
Al- Agha said: “I went again on 29/6, they put me in the detention room until 12:00 pm then they took me to a solitary cell until 12:30; when they started interrogating me about the photos and the work I do on my computer, then they sent me back to the cell.”
At around 5:00 pm, they interrogated me again and told me that media is talking about my detention. They told me that my work in media should be without violations (without defining the violations). They released me at 5:30 and returned my ID but kept the cellphone, laptop and the computer; they told me that they will send me my phone but they will keep the laptop and the computer to examine them.”
“They did not tell me to return but the interrogation was violent and they were yelling all the time.” Al-Agha said.
(16/6)- Al-Akhbar Lebanese newspaper correspondent in Gaza Strip Amjad Yaghi (age 24) was threatened by a family of a killed woman; after he published a report on women’s killing.
He reported to MADA: “I worked for a year on writing an investigative report entitled (No consolation for women killed in Gaza); the whole report is documented with pictures and voices. The report talks about killing women in Gaza in mysterious conditions and to hold the authority in Gaza responsible for not investigating or holding the killers accountable in addition to the acknowledgment of the women’s families.”
“I consulted Areej institution for investigative journalism in Jordan about the responsibilities I might hold by publishing it, they told me that the report is fine” Yaghi said.
He added: “One day after I published my report, I received a phone call from a brother of one of the women killed in a mysterious condition, asking me to delete the report from the newspaper’s website. He also threatened me to complain at the general prosecution and general investigation.”
He explained: “Later that day, the woman’s other brother texted me telling me that he wants to meet me; I went and he kindly asked me to delete the report, yet her husband was aggressive with me while telling me to delete it.”
“When I left them I texted her brother and told him that I will hide it on Facebook and that I cannot remove it from the newspaper.” He added.
(17/6) - The Palestinian Police in Gaza assaulted the Guardian British Newspaper correspondent Hazem Khalil Ba’looshe and his colleagues; the cameraman Macio and the Guardian online anchor Mrs. Fedi, they also prevented them from coverage, detained them and seized their equipment. They also arrested Ba’looshe after driving him to the police station.
Ba’looshe reported to MADA: “My colleagues and I were making a documentary film on the local journalists’ media coverage of the latest Israeli aggression on Gaza. We were close to a UN school which shelters displaced families, we started filming when a plain-clothed man shat the camera’s lenses and asked us for the memory card. He told us that he is a police officer; another officer took us inside the school and took our camera, we stayed for an hour and a half inside the school, at the same time they were cursing and yelling at me.”
He added: “I texted some journalists and officials in the government on what happened to us, they released my colleagues and took me to the police station. They kept me in a cell for 45 minutes without interrogating me then they released me andlater gave me my camera after one of Hamas leaders Faouzi Barhoum in Hamas interfered.”
(19/6)- The Palestinian police assaulted and detained the member of the General Secretariat of the Journalists’ Syndicate and the French News Agency photographer Mousa Ahmad Al-Sha’er. He reported to MADA: “I headed off from Bethlehem to Jerusalem, when I wanted to park my car, one policeman banned me and another policeman ordered me to leave the place and threatened me to issue a traffic ticket. I parked far away and when I walked back to the same place, I found 4 cars parking there (where the police did not allow me to park in); that’s when I took photos of the cars and the policeman. He told me to photograph and publish wherever I want, and then we had a wrangle and the policeman started cursing and assaulting me, he pulled me shirt and started kicking me. They took me to the police station. They interrogated me and the colonel Ala’ Shalabi told me to file a complaint about the incident.”
(19/6)- The IOF assaulted AP cameraman Imad Sa’eed while he was covering the fallout of killing of a settler. He reported to MADA: “On 19/6 I headed off to cover the fallout of the killing of a settler in Der Bzigh, when I arrived 10 soldiers attacked me, pulled me from the car and forced me on the ground, they checked me and one of them pointed his M16 weapon towards my head.”
He added: “I stayed on the ground for one hour while one soldier was interrogating me about my work, where I live and the reason I came to film, while another soldier was filming. Later the intelligence officer came and asked me the same question he ordered me not to film and released me.”
(20/6)- The IOF prevented Falisteen Al-Yaum TV staff (the TV correspondent Raghda Nour Addin Atme and the cameraman Ata Awad) from covering the fallout of the killing of a settlers in Der Bzigh village in Ramallah, they also detained and interrogated them.
Atme reported to MADA: “While my colleagues and I were covering the fallout of the killing of a settler, the Israeli soldiers tried to disturb us by gathering around us with their military vehicles. Then we started filming the IOF collecting the hanging cameras in the village, they ordered us to stop filming and took us to the officer who was in a building 200 meters far from the soldiers. The officer interrogated us for 15 minutes; he checked our journalism cards and ordered us not to film and to leave the place.”
(21/6)- The IOF banned the vice head of the journalists’ syndicate and the chief editor at Al-Haya Al-Jadida Newspaper in Gaza Tahsin Al-Astal from entering the West Bank to participate in the meeting of the syndicate’s general secretariat. He reported to MADA: “I headed off to the West Bank, 2 hours after arriving to the crossing; the Palestinian liaison told me that Israel banns me from traveling.”
(22/6)- Some individuals threatened Ma’an News Agency and TV correspondent in Ramallah Firas Tannine, they libeled him and accused him of apostasy through a post they published on a website called “Pal Weather” on 22/6.
Tannine reported to MADA: “A month ago, I was discussing religious stuff (about Sunna & Shia and the differences between them and battles between Muslim factions) with some friends; at that moment, a guy called Yaman Jarrar heard our discussion and later brought around 150 persons who attacked me and accused me of apostasy. We called the police who solved the whole thing right away.”
He added: “Recently someone posted a comment on Pal Weather Facebook[1] page accusing me of apostasy and threatening with an aggressive reaction[2]. I filed an official complaint for all the concerned sides about the threats.”
He explained that they recognized the people who wrote the post and that Ramallah’s Mayor reprimanded them; so they deleted the post.
On 30/6 Tannine reported: “I withdrew the complaint since the trial for such cases is a 24 hours of detention only. As the police told me, there are no deterrent laws for such crimes.”
(25/6)- The Israeli police detained Quds Press International correspondent Fatima Abu Sbetan. She reported to MADA: “I was covering the storming of Al-Aqsa mosque and when I left they did not give me my ID back telling me that I am detained. They took me to Al-Qashle police station where I stayed for 4 hours.”
She added: “They accused me of disrupting the settlers’ visits; they exiled me from Al-Aqsa mosque for 15 days without bail”.
(29/6)- The IOF detained Wattan TV staff (the correspondents Aysar Barghouthi & Hamza Salayme and the cameraman Amjad Shoman). Aysar reported to MADA: “My colleagues Hamza and Amjad headed to make a report about a historical place called “Al-Nabi Omair’s tomb” between the villages of Bet Ello and Der Ammar north west of Ramallah. On the way the IOF stopped us and prevented us from filming, they took our IDs and detained us for 3 hours, when we asked about the reason of detaining us one soldier told us that there are settlers in the place and that we are not allowed to be there at the same time. They allowed us to film only for 10 minutes and that was when the settlers left.”
(29/6)- The internal security forces in Gaza summoned the Deputy Secretary-General of The Arab Opinion writers Network and the university lecturer Hisham Abu Younis. He reported to MADA: “On 26/6 I received summon from the internal security telling me to go to their headquarters on 29/6. When I went there they took my stuff and entered me to the waiting room; where I stayed for almost three hours and a half. They asked for my phone code and they took photos of me then they sent me back to the waiting room until 4:30 pm when they started interrogating me.”
“During the interrogation they told me that I expose them on Facebook through my writings and they asked me about my work with Fatah. They also told me that they do not want me to cause sectarian strife, I was released at 6:00 pm and they gave me stuff back and did not ask me to sign any pledge.” He added.
