Ramallah 10/6/2017- For the third month, the attacks against media freedoms in Palestine continued at the same pace. May 2017 witnessed a number of violations at the same high levels recorded during April and March.
The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) monitored a total of 41 attacks against media freedoms in May 2017 (almost the same as in April, when 40 attacks took place). The Israeli occupation forces and settlers carried out 23 attacks, while 18 attacks committed by Palestinians parties.
Israeli Violations:
In May 2017, Israeli Occupation Forces committed a total of 23 attacks against media freedoms in Palestine (about 56% of violations recorded this month). The most prominent violations was the injured of the AP photographer Majdi Shtiah with a bullet in his hand when an Israeli settler opened fire towards a group of protesters in the town of Hiwara, which also led to the death of a demonstrator who was shot with a bullet in his head at the same moment. Also, four other journalists were injured by shrapnel from sound and gas bombs fired by Israeli soldiers at a group of journalists while covering a peaceful demonstration in Bethlehem. Other journalists were injured in this incident: Baladna Radio reporter Safia Omar Qawar, AFP photographer Mousa El-Shaer and the European Agency's photographer, Abdelhafeez Al-Hashlamoun, while AP photographer Ayad Nimer Hamad was severely suffocated. The editor of the Palestinian Center for Israeli Studies, one of the founders of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, Said Ayyash, was arrested and prevented from traveling for six months after a raid on his house. The director of Elia organization Ahmed Hassan Safadi was attached and arrested and prevented from covering any demonstration for three months. Al-Nour Printings Company in Ramallah was stormed for the second time in months; the Israeli forces confiscated the company equipment and devices (machines) and close it under the pretext of "incitement."
Palestinian Violations:
The Palestinian violations against media freedoms increased to 18 violations this month compared to the last month (which witnessed only 8 violations). All the Palestinian violations occurred in the West Bank, the most prominent of these violations was the preventing of three media students at Birzeit University by the security forces from covering a march in Ramallah and assaulting one of them and holding their equipment and holding them in Al-bireh interrogation center until 9 pm. And the arrest of the media student at Hebron University Musab Khamis Qafisha who is also a freelancer reporter Al-Quds news network, also the arrest and investigation with the freelancer journalist Qutaiba Saleh Qassem, and the raid on the freelance journalist Ikram Abu Eisha house, and confiscated her computer and a flash card.
May violations in details:
(3-5) Israeli soldiers detained the cameraman of Ro’ya TV Ashraf Mohammed Dar Zeid / Nabali, (24 years), while covering an event for the journalists on World Press Freedom Day. Dar reported to MADA: “"On 3/5 we went to cover the journalist's event on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day near Ofer prison in Bitonia town, and while I was there as a participant and a cameraman to cover this event, an Israeli military vehicle arrived and asked everyone to leave. I assumed that the soldier was talking to the participants, not to the journalists, I stood away and continued filming the event, and then the soldiers start throwing sound bombs at the people, one of the soldiers came and stopped me while filming scenes of one of the soldiers attacking Raya photographer Shadi Hatem Karakra. They detained me and my colleague Ameen Hassan 'Allawiya (known as Rami Hassan' Alawiya), (45 years), who works for an independent media production company and the for Al-Quds News website, because he wanted to take pictures of me in the meantime near cement blocks about 200 meters away, Where the soldiers searched us and confiscated our cameras for 20 minutes and then they give it back and let us go.
Shadi Hatim Karakra, (24 years), Raya network photographer, reported that "a soldier came rushing toward me to arrest me, but he was busy arresting Ashraf but He did not detain me”.
(4/5) Israeli soldiers prevented Palestine Today TV crew from covering and detained them while preparing a report about the Palestinian prisoners. The TV reporter Fida’ Abdel-Fattah Nasr (28 years) said to MADA: “"Around 1:30 of 4/5 afternoon, me and my colleague Jamil Salhab the cameraman in Trans Media were near the Triangle of Al-Fawwar refugee Camp in Hebron to prepare a report about the prisoners. Knowing that there is an army watch tower in the area. Once we start filming an army patrol came and asked for our press cards to check it. They asked us what we are filming and I answered them, and then they called more soldiers and searched our car.”
She added: “"I told them that we will leave the place and that they could delete the footage we shot, but the soldier asked for the camera's memory but I refused to give it to him, we remained in detention until the soldier came back and asked for our personal IDs, during that I took a picture by my phone, The soldier asked me to delete it and threatened to call the police if I did not delete it, but I did not care. After another patrol came, took my phone and deleted the pictures. We were held for about two hours.”
(4/5) At least 4 journalists were injured by shrapnel of sound and gas bombs fired by Israeli soldiers while covering a demonstration in solidarity with the prisoners in Bethlehem. Radio Baladna reporter, Safia Omar Qawar, (31 years), she reported to MADA:” On the evening of 4/5, me and a group of journalists went to the Bethlehem Junction (Bab Ziqaq) to cover a popular demonstration in support of the prisoners on hunger strike, the demonstration started from there at 5:00 to northern Bethlehem checkpoint.”
She added: “As we reached the checkpoint, the Israeli occupation forces began to suppress the demonstration and target all those present with sound bombs without any distinguish between journalists and demonstrators, (Note that we journalists were wearing the journalists dress and standing together), I was hit by shrapnel from a sound bomb in different parts of my body, and taken to Al-Husain/ Beit Jala hospital for treatment.”
The AFP photographer and Japanese television cameraman, Musa Ahmed al-Shaer, (58 years), reported to MADA: “while we were covering the demonstration, and after the participants arrived near the gate of the wall (Rahel's Tomb), the army surprised us by firing and dropping shrapnel bombs at us, I was injured by shrapnel in the back and went for treatment at Beit Jala Hospital."
The European Press Agency (EPA) photographer Abdel-Hafiz al-Hashlamoun, (53 years), said to MADA: “I was hit by the shrapnel from a sound bomb in my legs, causing me burns, bruises and tearing. I was transferred to Beit Jala Governmental Hospital where I received first aid and left the hospital after three hours.”
AP photographer Iyad Nimer Hamad, (58 years) said to MADA: “I was severely suffocated by the gas bombs thrown at us by the soldiers, and suffered from heartburn in my eyes until the next day.”
(7/5) the Palestinian Preventive Security force raided the house of the freelance journalist Ikram Mohammed Abu Eisha (30 years), searched her house and confiscated a computer and a flash. Abu Eisha reported to MADA: “At 6:30 PM on 7/5 a Preventive Security Force, including three men and a woman, broke into my house in Beit Wazan village in Nablus district. The woman entered my room with my mother and pulled the mobile phone out of my hand. She identified herself as a Preventive Security and pulled the other mobile phone off my side.”
She added: “After the full and thorough inspection of my bedroom, she confiscated my laptop and a flash card. When I read that the inspection warrant issued by the prosecution I found that the charge against me was (weapons possession), I was shocked, the policewoman said that this charge can be directed at anyone. I asked her to remove my personal pictures of the devices before confiscating them. I also asked her for an official document from the Preventive Security Service confirming what had been confiscated from me. Now I am trying to restore the devices.”
(8/5) Israeli occupation forces broke into and searched the house of the journalist Saeed Ayash[1] (64 years), the editor of the Palestinian Center for Israeli Studies (Madar), and he was arrested and detained at the Muskoubiyah investigation center and denied travel for six months. Ayash sreported to MADA: “At 3:00 am, an Israeli occupation force stormed my house in the Ras al-Amud neighborhood of Silwan / Jerusalem. I was in the emergency department of Al-Makassed Hospital. They searched the house in a barbaric way and ripped through the contents, and tore up the pictures of my martyr son, Milad Ayyash. When they did not find me in the house, they left me a ssummon and called me to come for investigation.”
He added: “In the morning of the same day (Monday, 8/5), a police force stormed my house again and tied my hands with handcuffs and dragged me to the police car, and took me to the al-Maskubiyya investigation center, section 4. When I asked them about the reason, they told me that my charges were visiting a hostile country and establishing contact with an enemy. I asked them to contact a lawyer and the policeman allowed me to do so as it is my right.”
Ayash also said: “I underwent an investigation that lasted about 5 hours, they asked me about my travel to Lebanon during the last October, although I had been subjected to an investigation by the Shin Bet (Israeli intelligence) while returning from Lebanon were (then) they hold my ID for three hours. They also asked me during the interrogation about my children, their work, and whether I was getting money from anyone. I did not sign my statement but I signed a travel ban for six months. I was released at 2:30 afternoon.”
(14/5) Palestinian National Security and Intelligence agents prevent the two photographers in the AP Majdi Mohammed Shtiyeh, (34 years), and Nasser Hussein al-Shewikhi, (49 years), from covering a peaceful march in Ramallah and held their cameras. Shtiyeh reported to MADA: “At 1:30 of May 14 afternoon, me and my colleague Nasser Hussein al-Shuyukhi, (49 years), a photographer atAP, were covering a march organized by the mothers of hunger strikers in Israeli prisons, towards the grave of the late President Yasser Arafat in Ramallah. When I arrived, one of the intelligence services came to me - wearing civilian clothes - and told me that Photography is forbidden, he also asked me if I took pictures and asked to check the camera, but I refused, then my colleague Nasir came near us, one of the National Security confiscated his identity card, and a Presidential Guard confiscated our cameras for have an hour and returned it to us.”
(14/5) Reporter Lama Hani (24 years old) of Elia’ for Media Organization was detained by the Israeli Intelligence as she was attending her husband’s trial. Hani was interrogated for hours and questioned about her media work. She was also accused of interfering with the investigation and her husband’s case. She reporte to Mada “I went to the Central Court in Jerusalem to attend the proceedings of the trial of my husband, Yassin Sbieh, who’s been detained for 18 days. While there, an investigator who had previously arrested me on 8/12/2016 from Elia for Media saw me and asked me to come to Oz police station in Al Mukaber Mountain, Jerusalem. The investigation started at 7:00 PM and ended at 11:30 PM. During that, I was asked about my media work and the investigator tried to force me to confess to some issues in order to add charges to my husband. As I refused to speak and respond, I was labeled as “suspect who is interfering with an investigation”. Given I’m pregnant, the interrogator decided to transfer me to house arrest for five days and I had to sign in bail the amount of 5000 NIS paid in the event of a breach of the house arrest order and I that I would be subject to detention. "
(14/5) Palestinian Security Forces prevented three Media students at Birzeit University from filming a protest by mothers of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, in Ramallah. They assaulted confiscated one of the students and confiscated cameras and they were called for interrogation and held until the evening hours. Student, Miral Ahmad Barghouti (19) told MADA: “on the 14 of May, we headed from the prisoner’s solidarity sit-in tent in the middle of Ramallah to the Palestinian Authority headquarters (Muqata) along with a protest called upon by the mothers of the Palestinian political prisoners on hunger strike. I was with my colleagues, Ahmad Rayyan and Aya Ali Matour (we all attend the same department). This was part of a final assignment for university. When we arrived at the headquarters, around 12:00 midday, and as I was filming a mother of one of the prisoners crying, a security officer (in civil clothes) approached me and requested that I delete all the photos I took. I asked him to tell me who he is but he refused and pinched my hand in an attempt to get me to remove the camera, and then he tried to pull my camera away from me. He then started to scream at me until I pulled away. Later on, detective Sa’ed came over and told me that the person I was talking to was a detective as well. He took the cameras, the USB flashes and ID’s from me and my colleagues and asked us to go to the detection center at Al-Bireh within the coming half an hour”.
“We immediately went to the Bireh detection center where I was charged with screaming at a detective when I said, “go away, I want to film”. We remained at the center until 9:00 PM and our cameras were not given back to us; my personal camera (Canon D80) and two of my colleagues (Nikon and Canon 110). The morning of the 15/05, we went back to the Al Bireh detection center but our cameras were not released claiming that we were filming security officers and not mothers of prisoners. Our cameras needed a higher decision to be released.”[2]
(14/5) Ap Photographer Majdi Muhammad Shtayeh (34 years) was wounded with a bullet in the hand by an Israeli settler while covering solidarity with Palestinian protest in the town of Huwarra south of Nablus. Shtayeh sreported to MADA: “While covering a solidarity protest with the Palestinian prisoners, on Thursday, in the town of Huwarra near the city of Nablus, an Israeli settler shoot at us causing the death of one man hit in the head and I was shoot in my right hand causing severe injury to three of my fingers”.
“I was taken to An-Najah University Hospital and then transferred to Hadasa Ein Karem hospital(in Jerusalem( for an urgent surgery, which was later postponed until Wednesday the 17/5)”.
(16/5) AFP Photographer, Ja’far Zahed Eshtayeh (45 years), was detained by Israeli soldiers while shouting at an Israeli settler who ran him over by his car while covering a peaceful protest near Nablus city. Shtayeh reported to MADA “While covering a peaceful protest near the settlement of Shave Shomron junction built on the lands of Nablus, and while protesters were closing the road, one of the settlers tried to pass, but he could not. He pushed me by the car and hit me on the ground. When I shouted at him, the Israeli soldiers held me for several hours near Shavei Shomron junction and then released me.”
(17/5) Israeli police and intelligence agents assaulted the director of the Elia organization Ahmed Hassan Safadi, (44 years), while covering events in the city of Jerusalem, they arrested him for four days and house arrest, and prevented him from appearing in any demonstration for three months. Safadi reported to MADA: “I was in the Red Cross Square along with other press crews for media coverage to peaceful sit-in at 5 pm on 17 May. At 7:00, after the families of the prisoners left the headquarters of the Red Cross, police and intelligence officers attacked one of the youths and beat him before they arrested him. During that time, they saw me filming what’s happened, they attacked me and beat me, then they arrested me and took me to the police office in Salah-Aldeen Street on charges of incitement, but I denied the charge and told them that I was just doing my work."
He added: “I was held in detention until the next day when I was brought to the Magistrate's Court. There my detention was extended until Sunday (21/5), But The court released me in condition to pay a bail of NIS 1500 and another unpaid one of NIS 5,000 in case I didn’t commit to the terms of release, which is: I should not be present in any demonstration, not as a demonstrator or as a journalist for 90 days, and to commit to house arrest until 28/5/2017.”
(22/5) The Palestinian security prevented the media agencies from covering the sit-in of the wife of the prisoners Marwan Barghouthi, which was carried out at the tomb of late President Yasser Arafat, claiming that it is a security area . Wattan TV reporter Amjad Basim Husain (26 years) reported to MADA:” At about 6 pm on 22/5, I and my colleague Nael Rajoub, the television cameraman, went to the Ramallah headquarters (Almuqataa) to interview the wife of the prisoner Marwan Barghouti. When we arrived at the place near the tomb of the late President Arafat, the security services filled the place, and told us that the place/subject to a security cordon and prevents entry /, we left the place immediately.”
(24/5) A member of the Israeli security forces assaulted the photographer at Active Steel group and +972 magazine Fayez Hamza Abu Rumaila, (25 years), Who reported to MADA: “On 24/5 I went to cover the demonstration organized by the settlers in Jerusalem on the occasion of the day of their occupation or what they call the day of the unification of Jerusalem, where they wrote offensive slogans against Arabs in the area of Bab al-Amoud at 4 pm. As soon as I arrived at the place and stood with the photographers, one of the Israeli Police Yasam Unit approached me and ask me what I’m doing there, And began to push me hard without allowing me to show him my pres card, and continued to attack me until the other journalists told him that I’m a photographer.”
(25/5) An Israeli occupation force broke into the al-Nour printing company in Ramallah and confiscated many of its contents and closed it down. Although the occupation forces had broken into the printing company four months ago and destroyed and confiscated most of its contents. The owner of the printing company Khalid Hussein Musfar (40 years) reported to MADA: “At around 3:00 am on the morning of 25/5, an Israeli occupation force stormed Al-Nour printing company, which located in Al-Nahda Street in the city of Ramallah. The raid was an extension of a previous raid in January 2017. At that time, they destroyed and confiscated the entire printing company equipment. But after a while, we started to work and opened the printing company again, as we did not know that a closing decision until 22/7/2017 was issued.”
He added: “On the morning of May 25, when the army again raided the printing office, they confiscated 10 machines (although we were still in the process of re-equipping), The soldiers informed us that the closure order issued because we had printed pictures of martyrs and prisoners (incitement charges) in accordance with the closure order that was issued at the first time, which we didn’t receive.”
(30/5) The Palestinian Preventive Security Service in Hebron arrested the media student at Hebron University and editor of "Radio Alam" website, Musab Khamis Qafisha, (22 years), after he was summoned. Qafisha said to MADA: “I arrived at the Preventive Security Service office in Hebron at 10 am on May 30, I was interrogated at the first session which lasted about two hours on charges of money laundering and communication with suspicious entities - I denied that - the interrogator asked me about my work, my monthly salary, Radio Alam, my posts on Facebook, and my political views. Then the interrogator opened a political discussion with me about the general political situation, and asked me for my Facebook password, despite my rejection at the beginning he threatened to continue my detention, which forced me to give him the password.”
He added: “They returned to the cell and in the evening, the interrogator asked me for another interrogation session, I asked him what the main reason for the interrogation, he replied (money laundering), so I told him that I’m still a student and it’s impossible to do anything like that. At about 11 pm on the same day (Tuesday 30/5), the officer came and informs me that he would be released after completing the legal proceedings. At 10 am on the following day (Wednesday, 31 May), I signed with the legal advisor a legal statement stating that I denied any relationship with any suspect or outlaw entities, and that I had nothing to do with money laundering. I stayed in the custody until 6 pm and went out with the representative of the Journalists Syndicate Jihad Al-Qawasmi, they asked me to return to another interview on Saturday 3/6.”
(29/5) The Palestinian Preventive Security Service arrested the freelancer journalist Qutaiba Saleh Qassem, (29 years), from Bethlehem and subjected him to three summonses and investigation after that. Qassem reported to MADA: “I received an official summons from the Preventive Security Service on Monday (May 29) to go to their office in Bethlehem. However, my father refused to take the summons while I was outside the house, but I preferred to go by myself, so I went there 10 am on Monday.”
He added: “As I arrived at the office, I found out that there was an arrest warrant, I was exposed to the medical examination. After waiting for an hour, the officer interrogated me for half an hour about my previous arrests before 2014 and about my job. Then they took me back for two hours, and then I was interrogated again at a second interrogation session, the interrogator asked me if I belonged to Hamas, I denied that. They returned me to wait again and said, "We will see when you will be out." I contacted my father and told him I would not go home. At about 8:00 PM I was interrogated again about the same subjects. The officer told me that there were efforts to release me tonight but that was not certain. At twelve o'clock after midnight, they told me that I would go back to the house on bail from the official of the Freedoms Committee of the Journalists' Syndicate, Mohamed Lahham, who intervened in order to allow me to leave so I can do my exams in the university, but to return after completing the exams.”
He also said: “On 30 May (at 1:00 pm), after I went back to the Preventive Security Service office, I was interrogated for a period of no more than 20 minutes on the same subjects (in terms of my media work and my previous arrest), and they took my phone and the Facebook account. I was released, but to return on the next day (31/5). I did return (around 1:00 pm) to the Preventive Security office and waited for two hours without investigation. Then they give me my phone, but my Facebook account was opened and they changed the password. I left at three o'clock in the afternoon, to return back to the Preventive Security office on Monday, 5/6/2017.”
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In the photo: Ap Photographer Majdi Shtayeh wounded with a bullet by an Israeli settler while covering solidarity with Palestinian protest in the town of Huwarra
