Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA)
Violations of media freedoms in the Palestinian territories during August
2009

Violations of media freedoms in the Palestinian territories have increased
last August, on the one hand the Israeli occupation authorities arrested
the journalist writer Seri Sammour, prevented the journalist Sabrin Diab
from entering the Al-Aqsa yards, confiscated the transmission equipment of
Radio Bethlehem 2000 which resulted in the stopping of its broadcast,
prevented two Swedish journalists from access to the Gaza Strip, and the
settlers attacked the journalists Hasan At-Titi and Abd Al-Rahim Khabisah.

Meanwhile, the security forces in the Gaza Strip prevented journalists from
covering Rafah events and tried to confiscate a cassette for Reuters on
these events, detained Al-Ettejah Iraqi crew (the reporter Mazen Balbisi,
cameraman Guevara Safadi and his assistant Abd Ar-Rahman Zaqqut) and
damaged their tape. The Interior Ministry has also issued a statement
against Al Arabiya television.

The security forces in the West Bank arrested the two journalists Mohammad
Shtaiwi and Tareq Abu Zaid as well as columnist Esam Shawar in addition to
the detention of Khaled Amayreh.

  The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) welcomes
the release of the journalists Hasan Rjoub on 16 / 8, Seri Al-Qodwa, on 19
/ 8 and Isam Shawar on 31 / 8, it condemns the continued arrests of
journalists by the Israeli occupation authorities and Palestinian security
forces in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and calls for the release of all
arrested journalists.

On the other hand, MADA Center denounce the campaign being waged by the
Israeli authorities against the Swedish newspaper, Aftonbladet, after
publication of a report by the journalist Donald Bostrom on the theft of
Palestinian organs after being killed by Israeli army.

The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) expresses
its condemnation of the closure of Radio Bethlehem 2000, and asks the
international community to exert pressure on the government of Israel to
return the confiscated broadcasting equipment, and to allow Swedish
journalists to enter the Gaza Strip.
MADA expresses its concern over the intimidation facing a large group of
journalists in the Gaza Strip, the last manifestation of which was the
threat of death to three of them whom we had abstained to mention their
names upon their request and for fear it will cause them further harassment
and threats. Journalists have also been prevented from covering certain
events in the Gaza Strip, the latest of which was the event of Rafah.

Details of violations:

(4 August) - Al-Ahram Weekly correspondent, Khalid Amayreh, was arrested by
the Preventive Security Force in Bethlehem. Amayreh said, "I went to
Bethlehem to cover Fatah Conference at about ten o'clock, members of the
security held me at the entrance of the school at which the conference was
held. They told me that I can’t enter because I did not get a special
card from the Office of the President. I told them that none of the
president's office contacted me in order to obtain a special card. They
responded that this is not their business. When I was about to return to
Hebron, one of the officials from the president's office voiced my name and
asked to check the camera that I carry as well as my laptop. (He checked
the pictures I have taken ... and I did not take more than one picture of
the conference entrance). A few minutes later, members of the Preventive
Security force attended and told me to accompany them in the car to the
force’s headquarters in the city. After they took the personal details
there, they told me that I am detained until the evening and that I am
forbidden from entering Bethlehem for eight days. One of them said to me
that I am being held because I don’t obtain a license to practice the
profession, knowing that I have a license to practice signed by the former
Minister of Information, Yasser Abed Rabbo.
At 3:00 pm, they allowed me to return to Hebron, but they handed me a
summon to the Preventive Security headquarters in Hebron, where I went
there on Sunday 9 August, one of the officials in the device blamed me and
said (We'll break your legs if you go the Bethlehem during the Conference),
and they set me free after five minutes.

(5 August) –columnist Esam Shawar was arrested by the Preventive Security
Force in the city of Qalqilya (WB). Shawar said that one of Force’s
officials had contacted him at evening and asked him about his location. He
responded that he is in his parents’ house.  He asked him to stay there
until they arrive. They already arrived after short time, arrested him and
took him to the headquarters of the Force in Qalqilya where he was simply
investigated over some simple general cases and some articles written by
him in the past, but he has not been charged. He was released on August 31.
Shawar was arrested and called for investigation many times over the past
few years by the Palestinian security Forces.

  (7 August) - Reuters News Agency photographers, Hassan At-Titi and Abd
Ar-Rahim Qusini were attacked yesterday afternoon in A’raq Burin village
(Nablus) by Jewish settlers while they were covering the march for the
people of the village to protest against attempts by settlers to take on
hundreds of Dunoms (acres) of their land. At-Titi, who also works as a
correspondent for Al Jazeera TV, said that he was covering a march of the
people of the village when he was attacked by three settlers and one of
them tried to grab his camera resulting in a slight injury to his right
hand. One of the settlers attacked Al-Qusini, while one of the Israeli
occupation soldiers attacked his assistant Ashraf Abu Shawish. The Israeli
soldiers asked them to stay away from the scene. The settlers used to
attack Palestinian citizens, their properties and journalists for several
decades. Last October they attacked five photographers in the Hebron area.
(12 August) - The of Al-Ettejah Iraqi Channel crew (the reporter Mazen
Balbisi, cameraman Guevara Safadi and his assistant Abd Ar-Rahman Zaqqut)
was detained by the Palestinian police in the Gaza Strip. Balbisi said "At
11:00am We were preparing the conclusion of a TV report for Al-Ettejah
Channel on political prisoners in the West Bank and Gaza Strip near Ansar
junction where the police stop us and asked us to wait a bit until they
contact their officer. Minutes later they gave us permission to film at
this junction. After we completed filming, two members of the police inside
Ansar prison approached us and asked us to go with them to the prison
director, Colonel Sami Noufal, who asked the photographer, Guevara Safadi,
to give him the cassette inside the camera. When we told him that there are
very important materials in the cassette that we were working for two weeks
to complete, he put the cassette under his feet and then gave it to some
police members to destroy it. When we told him that we are in contact with
the police media spokesman, Islam Shahwan, he said that he has no relation
with Islam Shahwan. When we objected to the way they treated us, they
confiscated the camera which we got back after a discussion, but he
threatened us with arrest and confiscation of all equipment and refused to
hear any objection from us under threat and spoke to us in a non-decent
way.

(14 August) – the journalists were prevented from covering the armed
clashes between police and the supporters of Jund Ansar Allah group at Ibn
Taimeyah mosque and the surrounding area in the city of Rafah. The Interior
Ministry of the dissolved government prohibited filming the events or
access to hospitals by declaring the city of Rafah and the hospitals as
closed areas to media and journalists. France Press photographer, Said
Al-Khatib, said that he and a number of photographers were prevented from
filming after the outbreak of the clashes on Friday 14 august and the next
two days in the area of Ibn Taimeya Mosque and they have been told that the
situation there is danger.

(14 August) - Trying to confiscate a cassette from Reuter’s news agency
office in Gaza City by the security forces. A group of security forces
arrived to the agency's office after the publication of the speech of Abd
Al-Latif Mousa announcing the establishment of the Islamic Emirate and
filming the first clashes that followed. They asked for receiving the tape,
but the staff told them that the Agency's policy does not allow it, so they
left the headquarters.

(15 August) –A statement was issued by the Ministry of Interior of the
dissolved Government in the Gaza Strip in which it accused Al Arabiya
television of broadcasting a report on the events of Rafah area, full of
lies and slanders and harms the Palestinian resistance, Al-Arabiya
television has been subjected to accusations and campaigns by supporters of
Hamas Movement, whereas it sometimes accused of being biased to Fatah and
at other times to America and Israel. Its office in Gaza City had been
exploded on 22/1/2007.
(20 August) - The journalist Sabrin Mohammad Diab was prevented from
entering al-Aqsa mosque yards in Jerusalem by the Israeli police. Diab, who
was preparing a report for "Al-Arabi An-Naseri," Cairo based newspaper,
said: "When I tried to enter the Old City I was stopped by a number of
occupation soldiers at Al-Asbat Gate and they asked for inspecting my bag
and asked me not to film, because it is prohibited. I told them that I am
in work mission and I will shoot some pictures in the markets. They took my
camera fiercely and I was worried about some important pictures that did
not move them from the camera, so I asked the officer whether he will
return the camera to me. He bluntly said that I will get it back when I
come out of the same point and he set a number on the camera and my hand. I
continued walking until I reached the entrance of the Haram (Al-Aqsa) where
two policemen stopped me and asked me for my ID card, although they saw the
soldiers searched my bag and checked my ID and press cards. Then they
rudely said (No entry).  I asked about the reason and they said that entry
is prohibited for women under the age of forty –fifth. I showed them my
press card and told them that I am in a work mission and that the military
permitted me to enter. They said that they have nothing to do with the army
and that they are policemen who enforce the law. Then I went back to the
market where I met a Belgian tourist and asked her to take some pictures in
the market for me. She welcomed the idea after I explained to her what
happened with me. While we were standing alongside one of the stalls, three
policemen attended by and asked the tourist with a smile and quietly
accepting the apology for the inconvenience I caused to her and asked her
to continue her tour in the market.  I told them that did not bother her
and that taking the pictures based on willing and conviction. Then she
turned to me and said in English: "I'm sorry, I wish you success," and then
went. The policemen then dismissed me from the market and threatened to
arrest me if I don’t obey the instructions of the police, so I went to
get my camera back and I left the area."
The occupation authorities prevent Palestinian journalists from filming
inside Al-Aqsa Mosque and forbid Muslim men under the age of fifty years
and women younger than forty-five years of access to it during the month of
Ramadan.

(23 August) – The reporter and photographer of Aftonbladet Newspaper in
Israel were prevented from entering the Gaza Strip, where they have been
told by the Government Press Office that they should wait for three months,
according to Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot. This comes after the
newspaper published a report written by the journalist Donald Bostrom on
the Israeli theft of organs of Palestinians killed by the Israeli army.

(25 August) – Radio Bethlehem 2000 broadcasting equipments were
confiscated by the Israeli occupation forces in the town of Beit Jala
southern Bethlehem. Station manager, George Qanawati, said that a troop of
the Israeli army composed of five vehicles raided the broadcasting
headquarters in Beit Jala at about six in the evening and asked the
technician to disconnect the equipment (two transmitters) and confiscated
them telling him not to try to re-broadcast "because we do not like to
lessen to Bethlehem 2000", and it will be bombed if it re-broadcast. The
radio station headquarters, which is located in the town of Beit Sahour and
founded in 1996, was halted broadcasting.
(27 August) - Aqsa TV former reporter Tariq Abd Ar- Razzak Abu Zeid was
arrested by the Palestinian intelligence force in the city of Jenin. His
father said that Tariq was wanted by the Palestinian security forces seven
months ago, where they attended to the house six times looking for him, and
recently it was agreed with them to extradite him to them provided that he
will not stay more than five days in prison. His father believes that the
reason of chasing his son is back to the belief that he is still working
with Aqsa TV. "They did not abide by the agreement and he is still under
detention". The government of Dr. Salam Fayyad has banned the work of
Al-Aqsa TV in September 2007.

(30 August) – Mohammad Shtaiwi, Director of Aqsa Channel Office in the
West Bank, was arrested by the Palestinian intelligence force. Shtaiwi, who
lives in the city of Tulkarem (WB), said that Palestinian intelligence
force has summoned him to its headquarters in Ramallah, where they arrested
him. Few minutes after his arrival to the headquarters, they tied his hands
and put the bag on his head pushing his head against the wall which
resulted in falling down on the ground. Then they stopped him on his legs
and tied him. Later they brought a doctor to examine him who seems to be
recommended not to expose him to torture, which was stopped after that.(He
was released on 2 September) . Shtaiwi has been harassed and detained
several times by Palestinian security forces.

(31 August) – The journalist writer Seri Sammour was arrested by the
occupation forces in the city of Jenin (WB). His wife said that an
occupation army force raided their home at 2:30 am; they searched the house
and confiscated the computer, laptop and three mobiles, then arrested
Sammour to an unknown location. Sammour was arrested last month by the
Palestinian Security Forces on July 20 and released on 11 august.