5 November 2010
The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) monitored many violations against Palestinian journalists in the occupied Palestinian territories during last October.
In Hebron city, the Israeli occupation forces has arrested the presenter of Manbar Alhuriyeh, Raed Alsharief, also in Hebron in Biet Omar village, they have arrested the photographer of Reuters Ma’moun Wazwaz and Hazem Bader the photographer of the AP Agency. Nevertheless, in Silwan area near Jerusalem the Israeli occupation forces have attacked the Palestinian Public TV correspondent Nader Baybers two times in separate accidents, as well as attacked the photographer of the Alquds Newspaper Mahmoud E’lian and of Pal Media cameraman Hamza Naaji.
In separate accidents they have attacked the correspondent of Palestinian Public TV Haron Amayreh twice this month, in addition to Abbas Momny, the photographer of AFP. A Jewish bodyguard has attacked the correspondent of the Al-Jazeereh TV Elias Karram, and the Israeli Intelligence has summoned Quds Net correspondent Diala Jwehan for investigation.
In the Palestinian side, Palestinian court in Bethlehem city extended the arrest of Alquds TV Mamdouh Hamamrah, the Preventive Security Service in Bethlehem summoned the presenter of Radio A’lam Samer Alroueshid, and they also arrested columnist Ala’ Rimawi in Ramallah, nevertheless members of the Palestinian Police detained Alquds TV crew (Akram Natshe, Abed Alghani Natshe, and Ma’moun Finshe) and Pal Media cameraman Ahmad Nubani in Hebron.
The internal security service of the dismissed government has closed the journalist’s syndicate in Gaza. They also continued to prevent journalists Saher Alaqra’ and Tamim Muámmar from traveling.
The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) condemns once again all the violations against Palestinian journalists, whether it was committed by the Palestinian side or the Israeli side. MADA also demands the international community and international organizations that concerned about freedom of expression to take an immediate action to halt the Israeli violations against the Palestinian journalists. In addition MADA center calls the Palestinian parties in West Bank and Gaza Strip to respect the freedom of opinion and expression, and to release the detained journalists, and to allow them to move and travel freely.
Details of violations:
(2 Oct) Radio A’lam presenter Samer Alroueshed was summoned by the Palestinian preventative security service in Bethlehem city. Alrouashed said that a members of PSS gave him a summon on 2 October 2010, so he went to the PSS headquarter on the next day at 10:00 am, and they interrogated him until 3:00 pm. Alrouashed added: “they questioned me about my previous arrest by the Palestinian Intelligence Service, about my old work with Alaqsa radio, and why I left my job there, and about my current job. They told me also that they will call me later for another investigation".
(8 Oct) Palestinian Public TV correspondent Haron Amayreh and AFP photographer Abbas Momny were attacked by the Israeli occupation forces. The accident took place on Friday 8 October 2010 in Bili’n village near Ramallah city. Amayreh said that he went to cover Bili’n weekly march, and when he was interviewing the general secretary member of Fateh Basil Alkhateeb about the Israeli occupation authorities, who burned a lot of olive trees in the region, one of the Israeli soldiers deliberately threw an iron gas bomb on them, so it felt down beside them and rebounded on his back, causing him pain in his back and bottleneck from the effect of inhalation of large quantities of gas. On the same place, Almomny said that he was also suffocated.
(8 Oct) Alquds TV crew (Akram Natshe, Abed Alghani Natshe, and Ma’moun Finshe) and Pal Media cameraman Ahmad Nubani were detained by members of Palestinian Police. The accident took place in front of Alribat Mosque in Herbon city in the West Bank on Friday 8 October 2010. Akram Natshe said that he went on Friday noon with his colleagues to cover the funeral of the martyr Ma’moun Natshe in front of Alribat Mosque, and while they were preparing for the live broadcasting, they were approached by a police car and the officer ordered them to stop the broadcast and to accompany him to the police station without a formal order for stopping the broadcast or arrest. Natshe added: "When we went to the police station, they took our cellular phones and press cards, after about an hour one of the officials in the police came and told us that there was no problem between you and the police, but the intelligence service wants you. After that they took us to the intelligence headquarters in the city, when we reached there they took us to a room and took our identity cards, and after about an hour they apologized and released us. "
(12 Oct) The Palestinian Journalist’s Syndicate headquarters in Gaza strip was closed on Tuesday noon, 12 October 2010, by the internal security service in the dismissed government. A secretariat member in the syndicate Yousif Alostaz said that a group identified themselves as members in the internal security service, came to the syndicate headquarter in Gaza Strip and informed the journalists whose were there, that the headquarters is closed until further notice. He added that they weren’t having any decision from court or from the General Attorney, and they also said that they will summon the syndicate board member soon". On the next day Alostaz said: “the government issued a statement saying that that ‘there is no intention to close the headquarters’. We are doing our work in the syndicate headquarters as usual".
(12 Oct) Palestinian Public TV correspondent Nader Baybers was attacked by Israeli occupation forces in Silwan area in Jerusalem. The accident took place on Tuesday 12 October 2010. Baybres said that he went at 1:30 pm to Silwan to cover clashes which broke out between Israeli occupation forces and Palestinian youth. During that one of the Israeli soldiers deliberately fired a bullet rubber at him, so it hit his left leg.
(13 Oct) Reuters Agency photographer Ma’moun Wazwaz and Agency France Press photographer Hazem Badir were arrested by Israeli occupation forces. The accident took place on Wednesday morning 13 October 2010, in Beit Omar village (Hebron) in the West Bank. Wazwaz said that he went with his colleague Badir yesterday at 10:30 AM to prepare report about bulldozing land of Beit Omar, by the Israeli authorities, in order to expand "Karmi Tsur." Settlement, and when they started filming there, a group of Israeli soldiers arrested them under the pretext that they are filming in a closed military zone. They were released on 3:00 pm".
(15 Oct) Palestinian Public TV correspondent Nader Baybers, Alquds newspaper photographer Mahmoud E’lian and Pal Media cameraman Hamza Naaji were attacked by Israeli occupation forces in Silwan area in Jerusalem. The accident took place on Friday 15 October 2010. Baybres said that he went with his colleagues to cover clashes broke out between Israeli occupation forces and Palestinian youth, and when they arrived there, one of the Israeli soldiers bombed gas grenade beside him, causing him a loss of consciousness in affect of inhaling a large quantity of gas. They also bombed another gas grenade at Naaji so he lost his consciousness. Baybres added: “My colleague E’lian was also injured by rubber bullet in his leg".
(18 Oct) Radio “Manbar Alhuriyeh" program presenter Raed Alsharief was arrested by Israeli occupation forces. The accident took place on Friday morning 18 October 2010, in Hebron city in the West Bank. The journalist’s brother Rateb Alsharief said that a large force of Israeli occupation soldiers raided their home at 1:00 AM, and arrested his brother, without giving them any reasons. Alsharief added: "We don’t know where they took him, but we’ve contacted the Red Cross to give us information about him."
(21 Oct) Al-Jazeera TV correspondent Elias Karram was attacked by a Jewish guard working at a shopping mall in Jerusalem. The accident took place on Thursday, 10 November 2010. Aljazeera reported in a statement that Karram was sitting in coffee shop inside shopping mall “Malha" accompanied by Aljazeera crew cameramen “Wael Salaimeh and Murad Saed", in the meantime, a guard working in the mail’s branch inside the mall approached and beat him violently , accused him in different charges like targeting Israeli soldiers, and he also cursing him “despicable".
(25 Oct) Quds Net correspondent Diala Jwehan was summoned for investigation by Israeli intelligence service. The accident took place on Monday evening 25 October 2010, because Jwehan published news on Quds Net news website about Palestinian Authority delegation’s visit to Jerusalem on the first day of Eid al-Fitr, which headed by the Executive Committee member of Palestinian Liberation Organization Ahmed Qure’. Jwehan said in a statement that MADA received a copy of it - that the Israeli intelligence interrogated her and threatened to arrest her, they asked her to witness that the member of the Revolutionary Council of Fatah and the official of Jerusalem file in the movement Hatem Abdel Qader was among the delegation. The Israeli court in earlier time issued a decision that prevented Abdel Qader from entering Alqsa Mosque area. Jwehan added: "I denied that Abdel Qader has visited Al-Aqsa Mosque, also I didn’t mention that he was among the delegation in the news, which was published in Quds Net".
(25 Oct) Alquds TV correspondent Mamdouh Hamamrah’s arrest was extended until 23 November 2010. Hamamrah also was charged in a formal indictment that includes the following charges:
Publishing a picture that depicting Palestinian Authority President.
Publishing rumors that reduce the prestige of the state.
Libel and slander against the President.
Publishing stuffs that encourage the antagonism and hatred.
On 11 October 2010, MADA legal unit lawyer Sana Aranki filed a complaint to the General Attorney; she also met him and explained to him all the excesses and the circumstances concerning Hamamrah’s arrest, But unfortunately Aranki’s attempt did not work, when she went to review the General Attorney’s decision, they told her that he refused the complaint, and he left the decision to the court. It’s worth mentioning that the court has extended Hamamrah’s arrest several times and refused to release him on bail. Hamamrah was arrested on 19 September 2010 by the Palestinian intelligence service.
(29 Oct) Palestinian Public TV correspondent Haron Amayreh was attacked by Israeli occupation forces. The accident took place on Friday 29 October 2010 in Bili’n village near Ramallah. Amayreh said that he went to cover the events of Bili’n weekly march, and when he arrived there, one of the Israeli soldiers threw gas bomb near him and caused him serve suffocated and loss of consciousness.
(30 Oct) Columnist Ala’ Rimawi was arrested by the Preventive Security Service in Ramallah city. His wife said that Rimawi called her on the afternoon of Saturday 30 October 2010, and told her that the Preventive Security Service wants to arrest him, and he hung up the phone quickly. Rimawi’s wife added that her husband was guest of a documentary program that broadcast on Alquds TV before week ago, where he spoke about the historical development of the “Jihad Islami" Movement in Palestine, but she did not know if that was a reason for his arrest.
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Contact:
Riham Abu Aita
Public Relation Officer
Ramallah
riham@madacenter.org
HYPERLINK "http://www.madacenter.org" www.madacenter.org
Tel& Fax.: 00970 2 2976519
