Ramallah- 6th July 2023 - June has witnessed a slight decrease in the number of violations against media freedoms in Palestine, compared to the preceding month of May.
The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms “MADA” documented a total of 36 attacks against media freedoms in the West Bank during June, 35 of which were committed by the Israeli occupation, while Palestinian authorities in the West Bank committed one violation, and no violations were documented to have been committed by social media, knowing that the preceding month May witnessed 41 violations, 37 of which were committed by the occupation forces.
Israeli Violations:
During June, the occupation authorities and settlers committed a total of 35 attacks against media freedoms in the West Bank, representing 97% of all documented violations.
As usual, most of the violations were serious (physical attacks) against the lives of journalists, the most serious of which was the injury of journalist MOMEN SAMREEN with a rubber bullet to the head during the storming of the city of Ramallah, which caused him a brain concussion, a skull fracture, and subcutaneous hemorrhage, which necessitated keeping him in the emergency room for a period of two days, and about 9 days in the intensive care unit. On the same day, the cameraman, RABIH AL-MUNIR, was slightly wounded by a bullet in the abdomen.
This is in addition to the injury of the journalist, BILAL AL-TAMIMI, with a rubber bullet in the arm while covering the raid on the village of "Um Safa" north of Ramallah. Furthermore, one of the settlements also assaulted the cameraman, MUTASIM SAQF AL-HAIT, and stepped on his phone on the same day and in a separate event. Associated Press cameraman, IHAB AL-ALLAMI, was wounded by a rubber bullet in the back, in addition to suffocating from inhaling gas.
On the other hand, the cameraman, ISHAQ AL-KASBEH, was attacked with stones by settlers, and his car was smashed while he was returning from Mikhmas Area to the city of Ramallah. The settlers also attacked with stones the cameraman of Palmomenta Media Production Company, causing partial damage to his car, in addition to verbal assaults by the settlers against "Al-Ghad TV" crew while covering the clashes near "Eli" settlement.
The occupation forces targeted 11 journalists to prevent them from covering the various events, including those who were targeted more than once, and they are Palestine TV crew (the reporter VALENTINA ABU HAMED and the cameraman MOHAMMAD RADI). They were targeted by settlers, and their camera was partially broken while covering the events in Umm Safa village. The TV crew was targeted once again (including the reporter BAKR ABDEL-HAQ and the cameraman ABDULLAH SABRA) in the village of "Urif" and their camera was destroyed. Furthermore, Roya TV crew was targeted twice during June, the first time a bullet hit the crew’s vehicle door during coverage in the city of Jenin in the morning, and the second time while they were on the roof of a building with TRT crew and J-media crew.
The freelance cameraman, MOHAMMAD AWAD, was targeted with a rubber bullet during the storming of the city of Ramallah, and the cameramen, MOHAMMAD TURKMAN and YOUSEF SHEHADEH, were subjected to tear gas canisters being fired by the occupation forces in the village of "Umm Safa".
The occupation forces prevented 5 journalists from covering various events, namely (IBRAHIM AL-SINJLAWI in Jerusalem, Arab TV cameraman FADI AL-ASA, journalist MAHMOUD AL-KHALLAF, Wafa Agency cameraman ODAY DAIBES, Reuters cameraman RANEEN SAWAFTA) in Jenin.
The occupation forces also arrested the journalist of "Sanad News" Agency, MOHAMMAD MUNA, after storming his house in the town of "Zawata" in the city of Nablus, and sentenced him administratively to six months, and detained the journalist, OBADA TAHAINA, near the settlement of "Arael" for three hours.
Palestinian Violations:
The Palestinian violations were limited to a single violation that took place in the West Bank, where the Palestinian Intelligence Service summoned the freelance journalist MUJAHID MARDAWI for interrogation at the headquarters in Qalqilya, and interrogated him for three hours. Another interview was scheduled on the 5th July.
Details of Violations:
(1st June) The freelance journalist, BILAL AL-TAMIMI, was wounded by a rubber bullet in the right arm, and it was broken, while documenting the occupation forces’ storming the village of "Nabi Saleh" north of Ramallah on the evening of Thursday the first of June.
The freelance journalist BILAL ABDEL SALAM AL-TAMIMI (57 years old) stated to MADA researcher that he was on the roof of his house wearing the press uniform (the vest and helmet) to film the occupation forces’ incursion into the town, which started at 09:00PM and continued until after midnight, when the occupation soldiers and snipers mounted roofs of many houses.
While documenting the events, the journalist was hit with a rubber bullet in the right arm (above the wrist), and was transferred to Salfit Hospital, and then transferred to the Istishari Hospital in Ramallah, where it was found that there was a fracture in his hand. After medical examinations, it was decided to perform platinum implant surgery to his hand.
(5th June) The Israeli occupation police obstructed the work of freelance journalist IBRAHIM AL-SINJLAWI at dawn on Sunday and prevented him from covering the funeral of one of the martyrs in the "Yousifi cemetery" in the city of Jerusalem.
According to the investigations of MADA researcher, the freelance cameraman IBRAHIM KAMAL HAMAD "AL-SINJLAWI (27 years old) went at about 01:00PM in the afternoon on Monday to the "Yousifi cemetery" located between Bab Al-Sahira and Bab Al-Asbat in Jerusalem to cover the funeral of the martyr "HATEM ABU NAJMA" and interviewed his family.
The cameraman, who was wearing the press vest and showing his press card, tried to enter the cemetery, but the Israeli police obstructed his work and refused to allow him to enter or even stand at the entrance of the cemetery and prevented him from being in the same street, and forced him to move about 200 meters away from the cemetery to an area from which he could not see anything.
(7th June) The occupation forces targeted two journalists with rubber bullets in the abdomen and head at dawn on Thursday, while a group of other journalists were targeted with rubber bullets to prevent them from covering the occupation forces’ raid into Ramallah.
The freelance journalist, MOHAMMAD AWAD MARKAZ, reported that a large group of journalists were present at around 12:00AM, on Wednesday in the Old City of Ramallah to cover the occupation army’s incursion into the city, to demolish the house of a prisoner accused of carrying out an operation in “Tel Aviv” months ago.
The journalists and media crews began filming the raid, and they took a corner for themselves on the roofs of a building opposite the prisoner’s house, and although it was clear to the occupation soldiers that the persons on the roof of the building were journalists (about six cameras, not to mention those using their mobile phones), they were deliberately pointing the laser light at them from time to time.
At about 02:00AM, at dawn, on Thursday, and as soon as journalist MOHAMMAD AWAD started filming, he was directly targeted by a rubber-coated metal bullet fired at him, but he was not injured, while one of the rubber bullets injured Arab TV cameraman RABIH AL-MUNIR in the abdomen while he was covering the clashes on the main street. It was a minor injury, as a result of which, he received field treatment and was able to complete his work.
At around 3:00AM, with the completion of the coverage and the continuation of firing rubber bullets, the cameraman of "Palestine Post Network", MOMEN SAMREEN (20 years old) was targeted. He was hit by a rubber-coated metal bullet behind his right ear. The bullet entered and exited his head, causing a concussion, a skull fracture, and subcutaneous hemorrhage. This necessitated his stay in the emergency room for two days, and nearly 9 days in the intensive care room.
The targeting did not stop at the injuries among the journalists, but rather rubber bullets continued to be fired towards those who continued to cover, and among them (Al-Jazeera Live cameraman MOHAMMAD TURKMAN, J-Media Agency cameraman HATEM HAMDAN, and journalist JIHAD BARAKAT).
(8th June) A force from the occupation army stormed the house of the freelance journalist YAZAN HAMAYEL in the town of "Beita" at about 4:00AM on Thursday, searched him, and left the place after about 40 minutes.
According to the investigations of MADA Center researcher, a force of the occupation army (consisting of 8 officers as estimated by the journalist) stormed at around 4:00AM on Thursday, the residential building in which the journalist resides in one of its floors in the town of "Beta" south of Nablus. At first, the officer asked the journalist for his personal mobile phone, but he refused to give it to him and showed him the press card, and to avoid taking his phone, he turned on the "flying" mode and then hid it, noting that the materials on the phone are his journalistic work.
During the raid, the occupation soldiers forced his family members, consisting of seven members, to be in one room and prevented them from moving around the house. The journalist’s room was raided and searched, without the occupation forces vandalizing or destroying any of the house’s property, and the force left the house after about 40 minutes.
(16th June) The cameraman IHAB AL-ALLAMI was shot in the back while covering the clashes taking place in the town of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron, on Friday morning, after he suffered gas inhalation one hour earlier due to a gas bomb that fell near him.
According to the investigations of MADA researcher, Associated Press cameraman IHAB ISSA MAHMOUD AL-ALLAMI (25 years old) stated that at around 10:00AM on Friday, he went down to the main street in the town of "Beit Ummar", where a patrol of the occupation army was on the road, while a number of young men were throwing stones at the soldiers stationed near it. The soldiers began firing gas bombs heavily, one of which landed near the media cameraman. He suffered gas inhalation and received field treatment in the ambulance.
The media journalist left the ambulance and put on the press uniform (the vest and helmet), to start filming the events taking place. Meanwhile, at around 11:20AM, the Al-ALLAMI saw a soldier on the balcony of a citizen’s house, which is about 15 meters away from where he stopped, on the southern side. Suddenly, he heard a gunshot and a slight pain in his back, as blood was flowing profusely.
"Al-ALLAMI" moved forward, hiding from the soldier for a distance of several meters, when he heard more than one bullet fired that hit the wall where he was standing at the time of his injury.
The cameraman was transferred to a Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance to Al-Ahly Hospital in Hebron, where x-rays and CT scans revealed that a live bullet penetrated the backside from the right. He was admitted to the operating room in order to extract the gunshot fragments, and left the hospital at approximately 11:00PM on the same day, to complete treatment at home after his health condition stabilized, while the medical staff acknowledged the need to perform another surgery at a later time, in order to extract the remaining of the fragments left from the bullet, and the journalist is still being treated at home.
(19th June) The Israeli occupation forces targeted many journalists, media agencies, and press crews with live and rubber bullets while covering the raid on the city of Jenin and its camp on Tuesday morning. During the raid, journalist HAZEM NASSER was wounded with a rubber bullet in the right side of the waist, and the crew of "Roya TV" was targeted with another bullet that hit the vehicle.
HAFEZ SABRA, a 34-year-old reporter for "Roya" TV, stated that at 09:00AM in the morning, he and his colleague, the TV cameraman MAHMOUD FAWZI, were in the vicinity of Jenin camp to cover the occupation forces’ incursion into the camp, where gunshots, stun grenades and gas canisters began to be fired extensively.
At around 9:30AM, while the journalist was sheltering in his car at "Awda Roundabout" in the camp, the car was targeted by a sniper’s bullet from a distance of about 200 meters and landed in the door.
At a distance of 200 meters away from the vehicle of the journalist ABU SABRA, which was targeted by gunfire, there was a group of press crews that were prevented by the occupation from covering and moving freely and obstructing their work on the site, including Arab TV reporter and cameraman FADI AL-ASA, journalist MAHMOUD AL-KHALAF, Wafa Agency cameraman ODAY DAIBES and Reuters cameraman, RANEEN SAWAFTA.
At around 12:00PM, a group of journalists (HAFEZ ABU SABRA and the cameraman MAHMOUD FAWZI from “Roya TV”, LAITH JAAR and ASHRAF ABU SHAWISH from “J-Media”) tried to get away from the clashes and targeting inside Jenin camp, so they reached Haifa Street, far from the borders of the camp, and they went up to a building overlooking the camp, through which they could monitor the site of the military operation from afar. After about half an hour, the crew of the Turkish “TRT” TV, consisting of the reporter IBRAHIM AL-RANTISI, the cameraman NIDAL AL-MASRI, and the journalist SAMER KHATIA from “J-Media” crew, joined them. The journalists were all wearing press uniforms including a helmet and a protective vest. At 1:05PM, they heard the sound of a bullet that passed between the journalists, AL-RANTISSI and FAWZI, while the first was about to go out in direct coverage. Immediately after that, the seven journalists fell on the ground, as the shooting continued for more than ten minutes intermittently at them.
The journalists were visible to the sniper, which meant that it was a direct targeting of journalists, so they left the building crawling to reach a safe area.
QudsFeed reporter, JARRAH KHALAF, reported that he and his colleague, journalist HAZEM NASSER, were in the vicinity of Jenin camp at around 12:00PM to cover the storming of the camp, and were surprised by direct shooting at them despite wearing the press uniforms. The shooting was not for warning purposes, which made them flee quickly from their location. Despite this, they continued to be targeted, which led to the injury of journalist HAZEM NASER with a bullet in the right side of his waist, where he managed to escape to the ambulance and was transferred to receive treatment in the hospital, while the journalist JARRAH hid by the wall.
(20th June) A settlement assaulted the photojournalist MUTASEM SAQF AL-HAIT by beating and insulting him and breaking his phone. A group of settlers verbally assaulted a number of journalists, while covering the clashes at the entrance of "Eli" settlement near Ramallah on Wednesday evening.
According to the investigations of MADA researcher, Quds News Network cameraman MUTASIM SAMIR SAQF AL-HAIT (32 years old) was present in covering the repercussions of the shooting attack that took place near the entrance of “Eli” settlement on the road between Ramallah and Nablus on Wednesday evening. During the coverage, the cameraman was assaulted by one of the Israeli settlements, where he was assaulted by beating, shouted at, and cursing, and they stole the phone he used for filming, then threw the phone on the ground and stepped on it by feet. This assault took place under the protection of the occupation soldiers and police officers who were present in the place.
On the other hand, a group of settlers assaulted the crew of "Al-Ghad TV", cameraman MUNTHER AL-KHATIB and the reporter DIAA HOSHIEH, verbally, by shouting and cursing at them, while the occupation police forces removed them from the place.
(20th June) A group of settlers attacked the photojournalist, KHALED TAHA, with stones while he was on his way to the village of Hawara. The stones smashed the car window next to the cameraman, and shards of glass flew in his face.
According to the investigations of MADA researcher, the photojournalist KHALED ZAID TAHA (41 years old), who works for the "Palmomenta" Company, was returning to the village of "Hawara" at exactly 8:50PM, on Tuesday, after he finished filming the site of the shooting attack near the gas station at the entrance to "Eli" settlement for the benefit of "Arab TV", where he was surprised by stones being thrown at his vehicle directly, and the large stones hit the window of the vehicle near the driver’s door, where he was alone in the vehicle, which led to the glass flying in his face and causing injury to his face. He felt pieces of glass as well in his eyes.
The cameraman continued driving the car despite his injury, until he reached the town of "Aqraba", where he received treatment at the medical center there, and was assured that none of the pieces of glass entered his eyes.
(21st June) The Palestinian Intelligence Service in the city of Qalqilya summoned the freelance journalist MUJAHID MARDAWI for an interrogation about his journalistic work for about three hours and decided to summon him for another interrogation session after two weeks.
The freelance journalist MUJAHID HAMDALLAH MARDAWI (30 years old) stated that he received a phone call from the Palestinian Intelligence Service in Qalqilya on Tuesday 20th June, for an investigation at the headquarters the next day.
At 10:00AM on Wednesday, the journalist went to the headquarters in the city of Qalqilya. When he arrived, he waited for about fifteen minutes, and then entered the interrogation room.
The officer began interrogating the journalist by asking general questions about his membership in the Journalists Syndicate. When the journalist told him that he was not a member of the Syndicate, the officer decided to deal with him on the basis that he was a citizen and not a journalist.
The investigator asked him many questions about the nature and place of work of the journalist, and the mechanism for receiving payment for his work (being a freelance journalist working on a freelance basis). The officer also asked him many questions about his relationship with some people outside work. He addressed him "I am not comfortable with you being a freelance journalist, and I have a feeling that you are working for parties we do not accept”.
Journalist "MARDAWI" denied this and insisted that he is a freelance journalist, and owns pages on social networking sites to publish news in general, without exposing himself to confrontation with any of the security services.
The investigation ended after three hours, and the journalist left the headquarters upon scheduling another session to meet him after two weeks (5th July), provided that he brings his bank statements, and the indictment on the basis of which he was arrested by the occupation authorities in the year 2020.
(21st June) On Wednesday evening, a group of settlers assaulted the journalist, ISHAQ AL-KASBEH, while he was on his way to the city of Ramallah from "Mikhmas" Area, which led to a fracture in one of the ribs.
The freelance cameraman, ISHAQ RIBHI AL-KASBEH (49 years old), stated to MADA researcher that at around 6:00PM, on Wednesday, while returning from "Mikhmas" Area, east of Ramallah, to the city center, he was attacked by a group of settlers.
The journalist was surprised when about 25 settlers attacked him at "Mikhmas" junction when he was intending to enter the city of Ramallah, when they blocked the street carrying sticks and large stones, and they attacked the vehicle with stones (they threw several stones at the vehicle’s windows). Then they tried to stop it by attacking it in the middle of the street.
AL-KASBEH was forced to stop his vehicle, get out of it, and withdraw from the place. During that, the settlers attacked him, insulting him, and assaulting him with sticks and stones, until he managed to escape, as some of them chased him. The Israeli ambulance arrived several minutes later and transferred him to Hadassah Hospital for treatment. It was found that he had a fracture in one of the ribs, and he was also slightly injured in his left hand. The doctors decided to conduct more comprehensive examinations and x-rays to determine the nature of the injuries in his body.
The next day, the journalist went to the scene of the attack to retrieve his vehicle, where he had left it, and found it smashed and broken as a result of the attack on it by the settlers.
(24th June) A group of settlers attacked Palestine TV crew by firing live bullets and sound bombs in the village of "Um Safa" north of Ramallah on Saturday noon, while the occupation soldiers attacked two journalists with sound bombs that afternoon while covering the events in the village.
According to the investigations of MADA field researcher, Palestine TV crew, consisting of the cameraman MOHAMMAD RADI (39 years old) and the reporter VALENTINA ABU HAMED, were directly shot by a settler’s weapon while they were in a house near the main entrance to the village of "Umm Safa", at about 1:00PM. As the settlers deliberately and directly fired at the TV crew in front of the house in which they were located, and when they felt that they were being targeted, he and his female reporter moved away from the camera, which was immediately hit by a number of bullets, which led to its complete destruction.
As the settlers withdrew in the afternoon of the same day, and the occupation forces were present at the main entrance to the village, the cameraman of "Al-Jazeera Live" MOHAMMAD AHMAD TURKMAN (26 years) and the cameraman of "Awda TV" YOUSEF SAMIR SHEHADEH (23 years) arrived at 05:00PM, and each of them began filming the events while they were wearing the complete press uniform.
Shortly after allowing them to take cover, the soldiers started firing stun grenades directly at them, and a number of these bombs exploded between their feet. Their withdrawal from the place coincided with the arrival of a senior officer of the occupation forces to one of the houses targeted by settler attacks. He prevented them from covering and forced them to leave the site directly.
(25th June) The Israeli occupation forces detained the journalist, OBADA TAHAYNA, at a military checkpoint near "Ariel" settlement, which is established on the citizens’ lands in Salfit Governorate.
According to the investigations of MADA researcher, the occupation forces detained the freelance photojournalist, OBADA MOHAMMAD TAHAYNA (22 years old), at around 1:00pM, on Sunday, at "Kafr Qasem" checkpoint, near "Arael" settlement, in "Salfit" Governorate, for more than three hours while he was on his way accompanied by a political analyst to record a press interview.
During detention, the vehicle was thoroughly searched by the occupation forces, and the journalist "TAHAYNA" was kept on the benches, accompanied by the political analyst, throughout the detention period. The occupation forces took their personal identities and took pictures of them, and before releasing them, they were handed a handwritten notice to report to the investigation center in Salem on the morning of July 11, noting that the occupation forces were informed that they were on a press mission and TAHAYNA had the press camera.
(27th June) The occupation forces arrested the cameraman and reporter of "Sanad News Agency" MOHAMMAD ANWAR MONA (41 years old) after they raided his house in the village of "Zawata" at dawn on Tuesday.
The wife of the journalist, SAWSAN ABU EL-ELA, stated that a large force of the occupation army raided their house in the village of "Zawata" west of Nablus at around 3:30AM, on Tuesday, where the soldiers ordered her to enter a room in the house with her children, and interrogated MOHAMMAD for a few minutes before arresting him.
The house was not searched and none of his belongings was confiscated. Only the journalist was arrested after confirming his identity.
On 2nd July, MOHAMMAD MONA was referred to administrative detention for a period of 6 months.
(29th June) The occupation forces targeted Palestine TV crew live in the village of Urif, south of Nablus, with gas bombs, which partially destroyed the camera and interrupted the live broadcast immediately.
According to the investigations of MADA field researcher, the occupation forces stormed the village of "Urif" south of Nablus, at 11:45AM, on Thursday, surrounded a house and sent military reinforcements to its vicinity.
Palestine TV crew in Nablus, consisting of reporter BAKR MOHAMMAD ABD AL-HAQ (24 years old) and cameraman ABDULLAH MAHMOUD ABU SABRA (24 years old), arrived in full press uniform to the vicinity of the targeted house at 12:35PM and began covering the events directly in the village.
The crew continued to cover the prolonged incursion, which lasted for more than five hours, by going live at the top of each hour, at exactly 02:00PM, while the reporter BAKR ABDEL-HAQ was covering directly the events from a location close to the occupation jeeps, and there were no clashes the area. The occupation soldiers started firing tear gas canisters directly at the crew, with the intention of injuring them which forced them to take cover in a nearby location.
One of the gas bombs hit the camera directly, which led to its partial destruction and the immediate interruption of the live broadcast. The journalists withdrew after pulling the camera from the site and left the village of Urif immediately, returning to the TV headquarters in the city of Nablus, where they were unable to complete the coverage.
