Ramallah – media freedom violations by Israel increased slightly during September compared to previous month, while violations by the Palestinian sides in Gaza Strip and the West Bank have decreased during the same period.
The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) monitored a total number of 26 violations against media freedoms in the West Bank and Gaza Strip during last September. The Israeli occupation forces carried out most of them (22 attacks), while Palestinian violations were limited to 4 only. In August, there were a total of 25 violations, of which 11 were committed by the Israeli occupation forces and 14 by Palestinian bodies.
Israeli violations:
During September, the Israeli occupation forces committed 22 attacks against media freedoms in Palestine (equivalent to 85% of the total number of violations recorded this month). Most of these attacks were serious, let alone that they have doubled compared to previous month.
One of the most serious Israeli assaults in September was the Israeli military court's decision to imprison journalists and Al-Aqsa media outlet correspondents Mustafa al-Khawaja and Ala al-Titi for 8 months (suspended) and a fine of 3,000 shekels on each of them, claiming the media outlet is affiliated to a “banned terrorist organization”, namely Hamas.[i]
In addition, 3 cases of detention and arrests by the Israeli army as well as 6 physical attacks and injuries were recorded. The most serious in significance was a decision by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to prevent Walid al-Omari, the director of Al-Jazeera channel office in Jerusalem from attending a seminar on media and freedom of expression. The event itself was called for by the Israeli Government Information Office. This decision speaks in practical terms of the Israeli official position on the issue of media freedoms and how the Israeli government contradicts itself when it specifically relates to the Palestinians.
Palestinian violations:
The number of Palestinian violations during September decreased significantly compared to August, marking a fall from 14 in August to only 4 in September.
In a very serious precedent, the Gaza Magistrate's Court sentenced Hajar Harb, a woman journalist in the Arab television network and correspondent to the Al-Masirah channel (a Yemeni channel), for six months and was fined NIS 1,000 ($ 280) because of an investigative report she published on corruption in the Ministry of Health in Gaza.[ii] The court revoked the sentence after protests by civil society organizations, including MADA Center and journalists.
Details of September violations:
(3-9) Ayman Naeem Al-Qawasmi, 45, Administration Director of Al-Huriya (freedom) radio channel, was arrested by the Preventive Security Service in Hebron for four days. Following the Israeli army’s storming of the Al-Huriya local radio, sabotaging and confiscating media content in the office, Al-Qawasmi criticized the PA's inactive role in protecting Palestinian institutions under its rule. After that, Al-Qawasmi said, “I received a telephone call from the Preventive Security Service in Hebron city at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday (3-9) to attend immediately to their office. When I arrived there, I was interrogated about the video that I posted after the break-in of the Al-Huriya radio, and that I said the Palestinian President, the Prime Minister and the governor should all resign so long as they cannot protect state institutions. They also asked me questions on why I shared this video. My answer was that I was expressing my anger when I saw the radio equipment damaged or confiscated, and they were very understanding.”
He added, “the next day the legal adviser( of the Preventive service) came, who recorded my testimony and I signed it. On the third day, the prosecution extended my detention for another 24 hours. I was released in the morning of the fourth day without any conditions or restrictions.”
(3-9) The Preventive Security Service arrested Issa Amr,37, a media activist, and a project coordinator for Youth Against Settlements movement(YAS). Amr told MADA Center that he “went to the office of the Preventive Security in Hebron city, Sunday afternoon (3-9) as he was summoned the previous day.[iii] During the first two days I remained in a narrow solitary confinement cell which was in a very poor condition without interrogating him. On the third day a group of PSS members formed a committee for investigation that lasted four hours during which they asked me questions on the activities of YAS movement, and questions on my writings on Facebook. During the investigation they insulted me, and one of them threatened to act above the law and even have me killed. Another beat me on the shoulder more than once, though not hard.”
Amr added, “because of their actions, I filed a formal complaint against this investigation committee on Wednesday 6/9 at the Public Prosecutor's Office. The prosecution itself extended my detention for another day without investigation, which is illegal.”
“I was presented to the Public Prosecutor's Office on Wednesday (6-9) and I was charged with “insulting high figures”. On Thursday I was brought back to the prosecution again. This time I was charged with: being rude, inciting sectarian strife, violating public security using the internet on the basis of Article 20 of the Cyber Crimes Law. My cybercrime was posts on my personal Facebook page, 7 were used as evidence, including two related to the arrest of journalist Ayman al-Qawasmi.”
“On Thursday (7-9), the judge in the court extended my detention for another four days and rejected the request for release presented by Muhannad Karajah, the lawyer of Al-Dameer Association. On Sunday morning (10-9), the lawyer again filed another request for my release. They gave consent for a fine of 1000 Jordanian Dinars paid in cash. I was released at 12:00 p.m., without being notified of the date of court trial.”
(7-9) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a decision banning the participation of Al-Jazeera's director in the Palestinian territories, Walid al-Omari, 60, at a seminar on media and freedom of expression, which was called for by the Israeli government information office. Al-Omari said, “I was invited to attend the seminar at least 10 days prior. September 6, a day before the seminar took place, the Israeli Prime Minister decided to ban my participation in the event. The next morning, the director of the government press office told me that my participation was canceled .”
He added, “the decision to cancel my participation in the seminar comes amidst an inflammatory campaign launched against Al-Jazeera channel on June 6th, when the Israeli Prime Minister announced that he was continuing his actions to close Al-Jazeera and prevent it from working in Israel and withdrawing the press credentials of its employees.” Israel has sought earlier to withdraw the press card from Elias Karram, Al Jazeera correspondent in Jerusalem, by removing his name from the circulation list of journalists of the Israeli Prime Ministry spokeperson section. In the back ground of an old statement, claiming he said in it that his journalistic work is part of his contribution to the Palestinian resistance, but fter a hearing session, the decision was suspended for six months.
He added “all these actions are part of the Israeli Minister of Communication’s Ayyoub Qara policy of restricting the work of Al-Jazeera channel and taking action against it, including the threat to close the channel's office in Jerusalem and to block its broadcasting in Jerusalem; but so far they have not been able to implement these procedures legally.”
(9-9) Musab Abdel Samad Tamimi, 26, editor and reporter for the Quds News Network, was injured by a sound grenade fired by Israeli soldiers during his coverage of the reconstruction of a school in Jab al-Dhib village, Bethlehem. Tamimi reported to MADA, “on Sunday (9-9) I went to the village of Jib al-Dhib east of Bethlehem to cover the reconstruction of a school which was earlier demolished by the Israeli army. At almost 6:00, an army force arrived and broke into the school yard. They fired rubber bullets, live bullets and grenades of sound and gas on everyone in the place, including journalists. A sound bomb hit me in the left elbow of my left hand. I also suffered severe suffocation for about 20 minutes and received field treatment.
“In the place there were also a number of journalists, including Hisham Kamel Abu Shakra, a photographer of the Turkish Anatolia Agency in Bethlehem, and a photographer of the European Press Agency EPA, Abdel Hafiz al-Hashlamoun.”
(13-9) For the first time in Palestine, the Gaza Magistrate's Court issued a decision toimmprison woman journalist Hajar Mohammed Abu Samra/Harb (32 years), working for the Arab television network and a correspondent to the Al-Masirah channel (Yemeni channel), for 6 months, in addition to a fine of 1000 NIS (about $ 280), because of an investigative report she conducted on corruption in the Gaza Ministry of Health on behalf of the Arab television network over a year ago.
This dangerous decision was issued against Hajar Harb about three months ago (on 4th June 2017) in absentia without her knowledge or her lawyer’s. The order remained secret and was not disclosed until September 13, when a doctor wrote about the investigation in comment on Facebook without revealing his identity.
Harb reported to MADA, “I was surprised to learn from a friend who sent me a post on Facebook by a doctor who was mentioned in my report as a bribes-person. In that post, he said: justice won over injustice and over the unjust journalist [meaning Harb], attaching a photo of the filed indictment against me and a copy of my verdict. This doctor and the State Information Office were witnesses against me in this case.”
Mervat Al-Nahhal, a lawyer from Al Mezan Center who defended the journalist Hagar Harb, said that she was not informed of the trial and did thus could not attend. She was also surprised by the issuance of the verdict without informing her or telling her client. She explained that her client was given four charged with : accusing the Ministry of Health of financial and administrative corruption, publishing false news about the Ministry of Health, impartially publishing inaccurate news about the Ministry of Health, and claiming a false identity by pretending her name is Mona Harb, which is in fact her official name. Based on these previous charges, she was sentenced for six months with a fine of 1000 NIS.”
Bakr Turkmani, lawyer of the Independent Commission for Human Rights said, “we filed an objection to the verdict against journalist Harb, and demanded a retrial in accordance with the law where there is room for evidence and examination of the allegations made. We also called for declaring the journalist Harb innocent. The court suspended the verdict and sessions will follow on this subject, with the next meeting on 30th October 2017.
(15-9) The Israeli occupation army arrested freelance photographer Mohammed Shukri Awad. 30, from his house in the village of Budros west of Ramallah, his brother Ahmed Awad reported to MADA, that he was arrested “at dawn of September 15th from his home in Village of Badras, at 3 a.m., by a force of the Israeli occupation army that stormed the house, interrogated him for an hour in his house, arrested him and left the house.
In another testimony, Ahmed Awad said that “my brother Mohammed Awad was transferred on Sunday to administrative detention, while the period was not specified pending another session of the court.”
(15-9) Samer Iyad Maghrebi, Pal Media Agency cameraman in Bethlehem, 38, suffocated because of Israeli soldiers’ firing of gas grenades while he was covering a peaceful march. Maghrebi reported to MADA, “I was at the northern entrance to the city of Bethlehem (near Aida camp) in order to cover a peaceful march demanding Israel to return the bodies of the martyrs. During the march, gas bombs were fired by the Israeli occupation forces. One of them was fired at me, and hit the side of my camera without causing any harm.”
He added, “although I immediately left the place, I sophisticated a few minutes and received field assistance immediately.”
(18-9) Members of the Israeli police Border Guards attacked a 35-year-old Hazem Jameel Bader, AFP photographer, and took him to the police station after they prevented him from covering a peaceful protest in the city of Hebron. Bader reported to MADA, “the Israeli officer in charge of the Israeli Police Battalion (Border Guards) approached me and pulled me to the police station, about 200 meters from the Ibrahimi Mosque. There I was beaten hard by policemen, and was held for about an hour and a half. I was released at 7:30 pm.”
(24-9) The Israeli occupation army arrested freelance journalist Raghid Mohammed Tabassiya, 24, from his home in Qalqiliya.[iv] His brother Malak reported to MADA: “An Israeli army force of 15 military vehicles stormed our house in al-Naqqar neighborhood in Qallqilya. The soldiers searched the house after they had gathered the family members in one room. They arrested my brother Raghid after questioning his identity and confiscating his mobile phone as well as the computer hardware and left the place after about an hour.”
“The first hearing of the court was held on 26 September and was adjourned. The second session of the court was held on Thursday, September 28, in Salem, and was adjourned until October 3rd in order to complete the investigation.”
(26-9)- Israeli soldiers assaulted Issam Huda Rimawi, 34, Alhaya Aljadeeda newspaper photographer. He reported to MADA , “at about 8:48 a.m. in the morning of September 9th, I arrived at the checkpoint between the village of Bedu (Ramallah) and the settlement of Har Adar at the entrance where three Israelis got killed. While I was taking some pictures in the Palestinian areas, about 300 meters from the checkpoint, the soldiers started shouting at me to stop filming. They warned me and fired in the air while asking me to lie down and set the cameras aside. They asked me to remove my clothes and raise my hand above my head. When the soldier approached me, he searched my papers and saw the three press cards (the Ministry of Information card, the Union membership card as well as the Haya Aljadeed Press card). Then three soldiers took me to the checkpoint. I was detained with my equipment for an hour and then released me with my equipment.”
(26-9) The Israeli Military Court of Ofer issued a 10-month suspended prison sentence against journalists in the Al-Aqsa TV channel Mustafa Abdel-Razeq Al-Khawaja, 27, and Ala Al-Titi, 35. They were also fined NIS 3000 each and prevented from working in the channel. Al-Khawaja repoteed to MADA , “I went with my colleague Alaa Jabr al-Titi, at 9 AM on the 26th of September, to the Israeli military court of Ofer to attend the court session. We waited until 6:00 pm, until the verdict was pronounced under Article 85 of the Israeli law, on providing services to a hostile organization (i.e., our work in Al-Aqsa TV channel), which is affiliated with Hamas movement.”
Al-Khawaja added, “The final verdict states that each of us must pay a fine of NIS 3,000 (deducted from the warranty paid during the period of our arrest in 2014 of NIS 10,000), as well as a suspension of work at Al-Aqsa TV channel for three years. If we continue to work in the Al-Aqsa channel or provide any services to Hamas or other banned organizations during this period, we will be held for 10 months in prison in addition to any other sentence the judge deems appropriate.”
(26-9) The Israeli occupation army arrested the correspondent of the Palestinian Press Agency "Safa" in Ramallah Abdul Rahman Omar Awad (31 years) for three days after raiding his house in Budros village west of Ramallah. Awad reported to MADA , “I was arrested in my home in Budrus village at 2:00 a.m, on September 26th, when an Israeli army force stormed the house after blowing the main door, and without searching the house, my hands were tied back and my eyes were blindfolded. They arrested me and took me to a military post in the village of Rantis. I was taken to Ofer Prison and stayed for two hours waiting, blindfolded and handcuffed.”
“On the next day the military police interrogated me for about ten minutes. The police officer told me that there was no file against me. He asked me if I had any political activity and of course I denied it. After an hour and a half, I went to another interrogation session with the district officer for about 40 minutes. When I told him that I was a journalist and did not have any political activities, he told me that I was working for a Gaza-based agency and any links to Gaza are important. I was also asked about the money I receive from the agency, which he said is funded by Hamas. I told him that is not my fault, and that I'm just an employee for the agency. On the third day I was transferred to Ofer court. Before entering the room, the officer in charge received an order to release me, and there was no indictment against me, and I stayed until 11 pm to complete the procedures of my release.”
(26-9) Khaled Walid Shweika, 25, a video cameraman, was wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet while covering clashes in Tulkarm. Shweika reported to MADA, “I went on September 26th to the Khadouri University about at 8 am, to cover clashes. Once I was in position, a soldier hit me with a rubber bullet in my right hand. It turned back and broke the TV camera. I went to Thabet Thabet Hospital and received treatment there for an hour. I was in pain for the next five days.”
(27-9) The Israeli police summoned Ahmad Othman Jalajel, 38, a journalist in the Al-Quds newspaper and correspondent to the news site “Panet”, after preventing him from filming their storming of the Hakawati theater in Jerusalem. Jalajel reported to MADA, “On 27-9 a police force stormed the Hakawati theater. During the event, I covered clashes when the police tried to confiscate the camera but I refused. The policeman told me, 'We will teach you a lesson.’ Upon that I was handed over a notice to go to the Investigation Center in the Russian Compound (Section 4) on Sunday in October 1st, but I did not go.”
(27-9) Israeli soldiers attacked a number of journalists while covering a peaceful march in the Jordan Valley (east of Tammoun town north of West Bank). They detained some of them and tried to prevent them from covering the event. The AFP photographer, Jaafar Zahid Ashtia, 45, reported to MADA that he went with Alaa Badarna, (EPA) photographer, on September 27th to cover a march organized in the Jordan Valley east of the town of Tammon at eleven o'clock in protest against the closure of the Israeli army and preventing Palestinians access to their land through the installation of gates and barriers. “While we started filming the march, the soldier began to push us and prevent us from coverage, and suddenly a group of Israeli soldiers followed us, surrounded us and began to provoke us. They asked for our personal cards and cameras, and my colleague Alaa Badarna was arrested after they had handcuffed him, but I refused to get handcuffed. So they threw me on the ground and beat me, and when the officer came I shouted “I am journalist” so he asked them to stop. They searched me and interrogated me about my journalistic work and where I work.”
“After they made many contacts and after they were confirmed that I was working for an international news agency, I was released after an hour of beating and interrogations (around 1:30 pm). My colleague Alaa was detained, handcuffed and taken to a military post where he was held for four hours without being beaten, except for threats and verbal abuse.” The soldiers took pictures with him as a kind of provocation. Later he was released after a call from the European Press Agency EPA.
Ranin Ratib Sawafta, 29, for Ajyal radio correspondent, told MADA, “During the coverage of the peaceful protest, the army prevented the demonstrators from advancing. During our media coverage of the event, gas bombs were fired heavily on us, causing many journalists to suffocate. We were also pushed by Israeli soldiers to prevent us from covering.”
She added, “During an interview with my colleague Musab al-Khatib, the Al-Quds correspondent, about the violations against journalists, we were targeted with two gas bombs, one of which hit me on my right foot causing me bruising and causing a downward pressure that continued for two consecutive days. Although we were far from the army and the demonstrators, but this attack made it impossible to continue the coverage.
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Mustafa al-Khawaja and Ala al-Titi, the journalists who were sentenced by the Israeli authorities for suspended 10-month-jail in prison
