Ramallah- 10/8/2016  during July 2016 has witnessed a decrease in total number of violations against media freedoms in Palestine, compared to June, as the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms, has monitored a total of 30 violations committed by both sides (Palestinians and Israelis) against media freedoms while in June 39 violations we monitered.

 

The decline in the overall number of violations monitored in July was a result of a significant drop in number of Palestinian violations, which fell from 27 violations in June to 7 violations during July, on the contrary to the Israeli violations that escalated significantly the double from 12 violations in June to 23 violations in July.

 

All Israeli violations monitored during July 2016 (increased by 92% from what it was in the previous month), it coincides with the second anniversary of Israeli aggression in Gaza (Operation Protective Edge 08/07/ 2014) that lasted for 51 days, as IOF carried out a series of crimes and systematic and serious attacks against journalists and mediaoutlets, particularly 17 journalists and media workers were killed, injuring 24 others and bombing 20 media outlets headquarters, rather than bombing and demolishing around 37 houses that belongs to journalists (for further details in this regards please check our special report on the link attached and our documentary film that was conducted and prepared by MADA during the last aggression in Gaza and all violations against media freedoms “journalists under fire” to watch the movie press on the link .

 

 

As usual, the Israeli violations against media freedoms that escalated significantly to 23 violations during July as most of the violations were the gravest against media freedoms and journalists.

 

In addition, IOF has issued a decision banning journalists under 30 years old from entering the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron to cover events that occurs frequently; only with a special permission.

 

This new practice that took place in Hebron that resulted so far in expelling three journalists , a similar measures that aimed to prevent coverage in East Jerusalem and Al Aqsa Mosqu was applied excessively on dozens of journalists, as a deliberate and systematic practice to take decisions that intend to expel journalists frequently from East Jerusalem, as what was monitored this month with the freelance journalist Amjad Taher Arafa, who was banned through an Israeli decision to enter Al Aqsa Mosque to cover events for 18 days.

 

During May and June we monitored three cases of arrest against journalists in each, it continued in July to four cases of detention and arrestment against journalists by IOF, rather than expelling a journalist from East Jerusalem including threat a systematic measurement that intends to intimidate journalists and ban them from covering attacks and events.

 

Among the most prominent Israeli violation during July was targeting and shooting the journalist Radi Ahmad Karame/ correspondent of Oruba Network with rubber bullet that was followed with an attack against him and his colleague, the correspondent of "Al Ghad Al Arabi” TV Raed Mohammad Sharif , being heavily beaten with a baton, causing them severe injuries and bruises rather than detaining them and smashing the camera that belongs to Karame, during their coverage of events near a military checkpoint named “Mazmuria" Homs Valley area on the 1st of July, in addition to attacking the editor of Alquds Newspaper Mahmoud Awadallah as one of the soldiers deliberately bombed a stun grenade near his face while covering events at Qalandia military Checkpoint (south of Jerusalem). 

 

 

 

July witnessed a significant decrease in total number of Palestinian violations against media freedoms, as we monitored a total of seven violations (4 in the West and 3 in Gaza Strip), as it dropped by 20 violations than it was recorded in June, which witnessed 27 violations.

 

Among the most prominent and gravest Palestinian violations recorded this month, was  the arrest of the journalist Mohammed Khabeesah after raiding his house at night by the Preventive Security Service in Ramallah, and the confiscation of several devices and equipment and documents of his belongings, following the fact that he published the budget of Wafa Agency as posted on the official Page of the Palestinian Ministry of Finance, as well as journalist Mahmoud Naseem Abu Awad who was arrested by the internal security in Gaza Strip, confiscating his personal computer and his mobile, he is still detained till (04/08), besides the excessive campaigns that included incitement and threat against two journalists Hajar Mohammad Harb correspondent of Al Araby TV Network in Gaza Strip, and the journalist Ameed Shehada correspondent of Wafa Agency in Nablus, as a result of conducting two reports the first by Hajar Harb on “Corruption in the health conversion system- Gaza Strip” and the other conducted by Ameed Shehada on “using donkeys in constructing high areas in Nablus”.

 

In the context of all prosecutions and restrictions against freedom of opinion and expression operations witnessed in July, Internal Security in Gaza also arrested the author Dr. Khader Mehjez for few days due to his writings and views,  and the summon and interrogation of the author Dr. Adel Samarah by the general intelligence in the West Bank, following a complaint filed against him related to his writings and opinion, which is a grave breach of freedom of expression and opinion in Palestine.

 

 

(01/07)- IOF detained the journalists Radi Ahmed Karame (27 years) correspondent of (Oruba Media Network) and the correspondent of Al Ghad Al Arabi TV Raed Mohammad Sharif (27 years) and attacked them with beatings that caused them with severe injuries, in addition to shooting Radi Karame with rubber bullet rather than smashing and confiscating his personal camera, while covering the attempts of Palestinian citizens  to cross a military checkpoint to reach Jerusalem as Radi reported to MADA “ as I and my colleague Raed Sharif, were covering attempts of Palestinian citizens to enter the checkpoint to enter East Jerusalem for prayer at Al-Aqsa, near “Mazmuria” military checkpoint, in Homs Valley, suddenly IOF started cursing us once a soldier fired a rubber bullet  on the bottom of my back  hence, I fell on the ground, when, my colleague Raed came to help me, the soldiers shot a tear gas bomb towards him, then IOF dragged us to the checkpoint and starting beating us with batons while curing us and forcing us to take of our clothes, they also smashed my camera before confiscating it”.  

 

Karame also added "after about 20 minutes of beating us, we were asked to leave despite the fact that our health didn’t allow us to walk alone, with no help, we called an ambulance yet we still had to walk for two hours to reach it,  we received the treatment at Al-Hussein Hospital in Beit Jala, that showed that I was injured with bruises, and Raed foot was bleeding due to the excessive beating we were exposed to, however we stayed at the hospital for three hours”.

 

(3/7) – Israeli Occupation Police arrested the freelance journalist Amjad Tahir Arfa (33 years) from his home in Jerusalem, Amjad reported to MADA"I was summoned before evening prayer for interrogation, at the police station (near the )post office, and when I arrived the officers their didn’t know who exactly summoned me, hence, I wasn’t interrogated, and left, around 3:00am of the other day (04/07) we were surprised with a troop of Israeli Police in front of my house in Ras- Al Amud, where they arrested me without providing an arrest warrant, they deported me to the interrogation center in Qashleh, and there I was interrogated under the pretext of suspicion that I am involved in riots and incidents that take place In Al Aqsa, and regarding my work there and presence, as I clarified it was due to my work as a journalist, to cover events”.

He added, "At around 12:00pm I was presented to the Magistrates Court but my trial was postponed, they returned me to detention in Qishleh, however, the next day (05/07) I was also presented to the court, and decided to release me with unpaid/ bail (5000NIS) / with the guarantee of a third part, it was also decided to remain exiled from Al Aqsa till 21/07/2016".

 

(4/7) – IOF detained the freelance photographer Ghassan Mohammed Abu Eid ( 32years), while covering clashes at Qalandia military Checkpoint, for ten hours and confiscated his personal camera, as he reported to MADA “I headed to Qalandia in order to cover(for trans-media company)  the raid by IOF to Qalandia refugee Camp, when I was stopped by IOF and deported to Attarout Police Station, where I was detained from 02:00am till 12:00pm the next day, during the detention I was interrogated for a while regarding the reasons of my presence in place, and for which party I am filming and covering the raid, confiscating my video camera, but I managed to return it the other day on 05/07”.

 

(8/7) – IOF detained two journalists, the videographer of Ramasat Company, Mahmoud Fawzi Abdul Ghani (30years), and the freelance journalist Kamel Mufeed Barham (27years), they were exposed to a field interrogation while covering a peaceful demonstration in Kufor Qaddoum, as Abdul Ghani reported to MADA “I was covering the weekly peaceful demonstration in kufor Qaddoum for anti-settlement in the village right after Friday’s prayer on 8/7, the demonstration was peaceful and unobtrusive as there were several personnel from Palestinian civil liaison, the demonstration remained calm and peaceful till attacked by IOF from the settlement, aiming to disperse all demonstrators, meanwhile they attacked me and my colleague Kamel Mufeed Barham (Freelance and a volunteer photographer at the coordinating Committee in the wall and settlements) in a brutal way they asked our press IDs, I handed him my press ID which was expired, and my colleague didn’t have his ID by that time, they forced us to sit on ground and started their field interrogation, for a short period, regarding where we work, and how much is our monthly salary, and the fact of our presence here to cover events”.

Abdul Ghani also added "After we were detained and interrogated, we were deported by IOF to Kedumim Settlement and after about an hour and a half of detention we were released, due to the intervention of the Palestinian civil liaison and the journalists' Syndicate."

 

(12/07)-   Journalist in (Arab  network  TV)  Hajar Mohammed Harb, (31 years)  from Gaza Strip was exposed to incitement and defamation operations and prosecution over several weeks (still ongoing), and that after publishing an investigation/ report on (video) published on the 26/06 linked to suspicions of Corruption in the health conversion system- Gaza Strip and doctors taking advantage of their government positions for their own goals through medical reports written, as Harb  reported to MADA ”after publishing my investigative report immediately I was hosted by the local radio station (Sawt Al Sha’b/ voice of people) to talk more about the report, its content and implications.

 

The next day (27/6), I received a call from the radio asking me to be hosted again to meet a lady claims to be the doctor's wife, who appeared in the investigation receiving a bribe, I told them that my job is to uncover the truth and anyone thinks he/ she is effected by the report and has an evidence can access to justice, noting that during the report doesn’t contain names or photos of suspected people”.

 

She added, "the lady showed up at the radio station and accused me of of slander, lies and forgery, and led after that campaign on Facebook against me that contained again accusins of lying, forgery and profanity against law, I was also exposed to another campaign against me that was led by a person named Saq Allah, (a former bodyguard for Moussa Arafat the former head of the military service), that I have been accused through it of collaborating with the occupation, and that the goals of the investigation served Israel more than it served the Palestinian patients, and claimed it was a false report”. 

She added "on (12/7) I was informed by the public prosecutor in Gaza by telephone that someone (a doctor they believed that appeared in the report) filled a complaint accusing me of libel and slander and personal identity theft and forgery of official documents, receiving a bribe from a source that I didn’t understand, the session of  prosecution was postponed till Monday 18/07 after I demanded to be summoned through the journalists' Syndicate, I also found in the prosecution office an official document from the government Information Office informing the prosecutor office that I have conducted an investigative report that reveals corruption, demanding him to investigate the fact, in case it reveals invalidity I will  be hold accountable, and will be prosecuted legally”.

 

She also added "I went on Monday (18/7) as scheduled and was interrogated for around two hours in a row, I was also informed that two complaints were filed against me one by a doctor, and the other by the Government Information Office, the prosecutor during the investigation  emerged both complaints and focused on asking me about numbers of corrupted doctors At Shifa Hospital, he also demanded to know my sources otherwise I will be considered as disguising criminals , I told him that my task as a journalist is over, what now it’s your role as a government, security services and the law, due to that my lawyer informed him to provide a judicial order to disclose my sources, the session was postponed until 20/7 and the prosecution asked me to provide them with an official paper stating that the report was in favor of the (Arab Network TV), we agreed to provide them with an official document from the producing company (Media Cam) stating a contract between them and (Arab Network TV) to produce investigative reports, and she was  assigned to conduct this investigation, they asked me to provide them with a document that proves the way I entered the hospital when I conducted the report, despite the fact that the document can be found in the archives of the Ministry of Health, nevertheless they gave me a chance till Sunday 24/7 to bring these papers”. 

 

(18/07)- IOF arrested journalist Faysal Ezer Rifai (26 years) his father  reported to MADA “Faysal received a call for summon by  the Israeli Occupation intelligence on 18/07 to go to their headquarters on Thursday 21/07 at one, as scheduled Faysal headed to Ofar detention center, where he was detained there till 24/07, whence we noticed we he was arrested by his lawyer Abdallah Manasra who is also a friend of us, we were informed that he was deported to Ofar Court accused of incitement on facebook”. 

 

His father also added "on Sunday (24/7) in the presence of lawyers from Palestinian prisoners club and Addamer prisoners support and human rights association /addameer (Mahmoud Hassan) the court session was postponed until Tuesday (26/7), arguing that the prosecution had not completed the investigation with him, and at Tuesday's hearing the court agreed to postpone the trial until Thursday (28/7) upon the request of the prosecutor also / to complete the investigation /at Thursday's session it was decided to release him on bail (5000 NIS) to be paid after 72 hours, so that the prosecution can appeal. "

 

 (19/07)- IOF prevented three journalists from covering in the yard of the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron and expelled them from the place, claiming the issuance of an Israel decision to ban journalists who are under 30 years old from entering the Ibrahimi Mosque only unless obtaining a prior permit from the army, as the cameraman of Trans Media production Jamil Hashim Salhab (25 years) reported to MADA  " me and my colleague the correspondent of Palestine today TV Fida Nasrallah and Raed Abu Rumaila photographer of  B'Tselem, at around 11:00am on 19/07  filming in the courtyard of the Ibrahimi Mosque, after the announcement of the recent decision (to ban all journalists under 30 years to enter the Ibrahimi Mosque without a previous permit issued by the IOF, meanwhile the Israeli region officer headed toward us and prevented us from filming on the grounds that we did not get a permission from the liaison officer, he exiled us from the place, accordingly we started arguing”. 

 

Fida Abdel Fattah Nasr (28years) the correspondent of “Palestine Today” TV in Hebron reported that” they issued a military decision by the commander of the region in IOF following the martyrdom of a Palestinian Sarah Alhajouj inside Ibrahimi Mosque, to ban all Palestinian citizens between the ages of 15 - 30-year-old from entering the campus, noting that we as journalists have not received or seen any written official decision (we were informed that verbally only), but when we tried to enter the campus we were actually (as they are preventing other citizens) now we as journalists are now demanded to provide a special permit and  a prior coordination with the Israeli authorities in case any of the journalists intend to enter the campus”.

 

(22/7)- IOF detained the freelance journalist  Haytham Mohammed al-Khatib (39years), and arrested the journalist Khalid Ali Sabarneh the cameraman and reporter "Arab News TV" (Iranian Chanel) and interrogated them as they were covering Bil’in peaceful weekly demonstration , they imposed a bail (2000nis) on Sabarneh claiming their presence in a closed military zone, as Khatib reported to MADA "I went as usual to cover the events of the weekly peaceful march in the village of Bil'in that is organized every Friday near the annexation wall, and before reaching the place we noticed banners in Arabic state / closed military zone / but it did not draw our attention, and when we started to approach towards the wall it was clear the IOF prepared an ambush to arrest anyone who approaches the place, and it was my colleague, the photographer Khaled Sabarneh who entered the place first where he was detained and his car. "

 

he added, “we continued filming,  were the activist Ashraf Abu Rahma was arrested, I was surprised that one of the IOF confiscating my camera telling me I am under arrest, and when I asked him why, he told me that I have entered a closed military zone, hence,  I told him that I am in my village where I live, and that there is nothing to indicate that it’s a closed military zone, they deported me to the other side of the annexation wall, there were detaining my colleague Sabarneh and Ashraf Abu Rahma, and after less than half an hour other activists were also arrested”.

he also added,” after the end of the demonstration, the officer came with lady who captured us a photo, informed me that I've infringed the law through entering a closed military zone and that I will be arrested next time if I was seen there, they handed me all my equipment (cameras and routers) I was released after about two hours of detention, while Khalid was taken to an Israeli Police Station in Rafat, were they detained him till the next day”.

 

Khalid Ali Sabarneh reported to MADA ”I was detained before the start of the demonstration in half an hour, and  my car under the pretext of my presence in a closed military zone, and remained trapped behind the wall until three o'clock in the afternoon, afterwards I was transferred with other three activists to Hashomim military camp handcuffed, till 05:00 am, afterwards we were deported to Benyamin Police Station near Rafat, detained till 11:00 pm, they  interrogating us on the reasons behind our presence in a military closed zone and the infringement  of the law”. 

 

Sabarneh also added “At half past one o'clock in the morning an Israeli (Pro-Palestine) who usually participate in demonstrations in Bilin named" Jonathan guaranteed us all, they asked us to pay an amount of NIS 2,000 for each, we've paid the requested amount on Sunday 24/7 , they informed us that in case an indictment was provided against us the trial will continue, otherwise the bail will be paid back, I was released at four the other day 23/07”.

 

(24/07)- The internal security in Gaza strip arrested the reporter of Al-Quds newspaper electronic Website,  Mahmoud Naseem Abu Awwad  (32 years) his brother Alaa’ reported to MADA " my brother was arrested  around half past seven o'clock in the morning of 24/7, after raiding our home that is located in Gaza city by a troop of internal security  force who didn’t reveal their identity as security service, and they searched his own apartment and confiscated his laptop and  his mobile, so far we do not know why he was arrested as he was banned from visit or to have a lawyer during this period, all we know –through his friends- he is detained at Ansar interrogation Center in Gaza, his colleagues at work, contacted the internal security to receive clarifications of the reasons for his arrest for eleven days so far”(he still arrested).

 

(25/07)-  The correspondent of Wafa News Agency in Nablus and Ramallah Amid Zayed Ahmed Shehada (29 years) was exposed to a wide incitement and threat; after he published a press report (video report) on using donkey to  transfer materials for construction in  high areas in Nablus city,  Shehadeh reported to MADA"I conducted and published a video report (video) on the use of donkeys in the construction work and raise the material to high eareas in Nablus and how thedonkeys  are trained to ascend and descend stairs, this report received many views and shares after being posted on Al quds Network, and shared by Wafa Agency and  as views topped to 250kk on Facebook in one hour,  after that a person known as a public relations officer An-Najah Hospital posted a comment in which he said / What does he mean by Nablus donkeys? ..This is an insult against us/ sparking a series of negative comments and insults against me, since I'm from a different city. "

 

He also added “negative comments continued that bear an explicit threat and calls for cracking my car or kidnapping me or as disciplinary action to be beaten like donkeys which forced Al Quds Network to remove the post from its page”.

He also added "It is true that threats did not exceed Facebook, but it sparked my fears down to the street for filming in Nablus, noting that the video is still posted on Wafa News Agency site."

 

(26/07)- IOF attacked the editor of "Al-Quds” newspaper  Mahmoud Awad Allah (26 years) and prevented him and the crew of Palestine TV from covering the demolition of Palestinian civilians houses, that was carried out by IOF,  as he reported to MADA "IOF stormed Qalandia Refugee Camp, at around 11:00pm 26/07 in order to demolish 11 houses in the camp, and during our coverage of this event they expelled Palestine TV correspondent Ali Dar Ali and fellow videographer who accompanied him,  preventing them from covering the demolitions, while one of the IOF deliberately targeted me with a stun grenade on my head directly, and he pushed me with his rifle on my back pointing it as ready to shoot, forcing me to move a distance of 100 meters, and there (after being moved away from the place under threat) IOF started beating me  on my shoulders and on different parts of my body and released me to leave the area.”

 

 (26/07)-  the Palestinian Preventive Security Service, raided  the home of journalist Mohamed Gharib Abdullah (Khabisah) correspondent of "Anadolu agency" Turkish agency in Albireh City, who also works in the “Shashat  News” after midnight and arrested him after they searched the house and confiscated devices (computers and mobile phones, equipment and documents), after he published information about financial expenses regarding the official news agency "Wafa” as Khabisah reported to MADA,” on Monday (25/7) I published on my page on Facebook a post that includes financial expenses for the official news agency Wafa during the first half of this year as published by the Palestinian Ministry of Finance on their official front-page available for the public, and after midnight around 12:15 am (Monday / Tuesday 25-26 / 7), a troop raided my house( including  three cars of eight people from PSS) that is  located in Al- Sharafeh neighborhood in Albireh, six of them entered the house, two of them wearing military uniform and four wearing civilian clothes, they acted in a rude way, as they knocked heavily on the front door, when I opened the door they asked me to search the house with an order by the Attorney General, although they refused to provide me the search warrant”.

 

he added” they searched the house in a  chaotic way, confiscating 2 laptops, 2 flashes, 2 hard-desk, 3 mobiles, in addition to other documents and my personal hand bag that contain my personal stuff, arrested me and took me to the Preventive Security headquarters in Beitunia(near Ramallah). After about half an hour they started interrogating me that lasted for three hours (until four in the morning) it mainly focused on whereabouts of my work and the sources of my income, and my work in the Shashat News site and the sources of my information there, my monthly salary in Anatolia(Turkish) News Agency in addition to the nature of my work there, and reasons of arresting me and deporting me to the headquarters, I responded that I doubt that my post on Facebook is the reason, the investigator asked me what was my purpose of publishing this post, and where from I received the information therein, I replied it was published by the Ministry of Finance and it's available to everyone on its website and anyone can get it.”

 

he also added” After they  realized f the validity of my information, the interrogator told me that the scales capsized after the interrogation, they had a different belief, After the completion of the interrogation I was transferred to a cell, and remained in custody there until 10:00am afterwards I was released at 11:00am , in the presence of the head of Palestinian Journalists Syndicate accompanied with Major General Ziad Hab al-Rih (head of the preventive security Service); after I signed my affidavit and on  the receipt of all confiscated devices, which I received the other day 27/07”.