Ramallah - (5/10/2021) - The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms "MADA" condemns the escalating attacks of the occupation forces against journalists and the media workers in Palestine, which reached a climax as a result of the current events in the occupied city of Jerusalem with the aim of blocking the transmission of the violations to the world. This was accompanied by widespread violations of freedom of expression committed by social media companies to serve the goal of the occupation state by obscuring the attacks implemented by its soldiers and settlers.
The last week witnessed a wide wave of Israeli attacks against journalists during their field coverage of the events, as the occupation army targeted a number of journalists while they were documenting the storming of the town of Aqraba in the Nablus governorate. This was followed by the attack on four journalists in Jenin while documenting the events, following the martyrdom of two young men near Jenin by Israeli occupation forces. The attacks escalated, as a result of the violent situation in Jerusalem, which affected at least 10 journalists.
Among the journalists who were injured and affected by the occupation attacks in Jerusalem are: Mahmoud Atwan, Ata Aweissat, Muhammad Abu Sneina, Abd al-Afn Zughair, Mustafa al-Kharouf, Fayez Abu Rumaila, Muhammad Samreen, and Ibrahim al-Singlawi, in addition to the arrest of Ahmed Hussein al-Safadi from his home.The two journalists Yasmine Mahmoud Asaad and Mona Nabil Al-Kurd were also prevented from filming and media documentation in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. Mona Al-Kurd was threatened more than once to prevent her from filming in the neighborhood during the past days.
MADA Center condemns these attacks and renews its demand for the prosecution of the perpetrators, and believes that the impunity of the Israeli occupation forces over the years for their almost daily crimes and violations of media freedoms in Palestine, including the killing of more than 40 journalists during the past two decades, is what Encourage them to continue committing more crimes and violations, which requires serious action to prosecute the perpetrators of these crimes, as the only way to reduce it.
MADA Center considers the actions of social media companies that have deliberately blocked and suspended the accounts of many Palestinian citizens, including many journalists, as a severe violation against freedom of expression, and in compliance with the objectives of the occupation state in blocking facts and suppressing media freedoms and freedom of expression. MADA calls on social media companies once again to reconsider their policies towards Palestinian content, which is represented by blocking measures against Palestinian content that cannot be justified, especially since these measures are one-way, and they do not pay attention to Israeli content through these platforms.
