Media freedoms violations in OPT during November 2008

Violations of media freedoms continued in the occupied Palestinian territories, with noticeable deterioration, over the past month, whether by the Israeli occupation authorities or the Palestinian security services in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The violation included arrests, attacks, raids, and blockage of newspaper web site, the ban of journalists and newspapers entry to the Gaza Strip, and prevention media from entering Gaza Strip, and some media crews from entering the presidential headquarters in Ramallah.
the Israeli occupation authorities imposed a ban on the entry of foreign journalists to Gaza strip on 6 November, which prevented them from covering the almost catastrophic situation in Gaza Strip, which inhabited by about million and half people, turning it into a large detention camp, without obligations towards the “detainees."
We consider this action a flagrant violation of freedom of expression according to articles 19 and freedom of movement according to article 13 on, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
We are worried of the Palestinian attorney general order to block Alwatan voice website, where the Internet is the only arena for a lot of Palestinian journalists to express themselves, especially in light of self-censorship experienced by them and most of Palestinian media, and the prevailing climate of fear among lot of journalists, especially since mid-June 2007.
We consider preventing Aljazeera TV and Ramattan crews from entering the headquarters of the Palestinian presidency, and preventing journalists from covering certain events in Gaza, in addition to the arrest of journalists and torturing them is a flagrant violation of freedom of the press.
Mada, while welcoming the release of several journalists, whom were detained during the past months before the Eid : Mohamed Athbeh, Tariq Shehab, Akram Al Louh, Yousef Fayyad, Hani Ismail, from Palestinian prisons, Mohammad Halaiqa, from Israeli prison, condemns all attacks on journalists and procedures that limit their freedom of movement.
Mada center:
• Demands to halt policy of journalist’s arrests, and the release of all detained journalists.
• Demands the Israeli authorities to allow foreign journalists to enter the Gaza Strip freely and completely.
• Demands to allow all Palestinian newspapers to distribute freely in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and to allow media outlets to operate freely and safely.
Details of violations
(Nov.3) - Alwatan voice news website was blocked by the Attorney-General of the Palestinian National Authority, its chief editor Abdullah Abu Issa said that Palestinian National Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas gave instructions to the Attorney-General to block the website on 3 November, “because we published a news story about an altercation Between Palestinian officials reached the degree of exchange of insults and accusations. We were quoting from an Arab News site, several sites also quoted it, but our site was blocked only". He added that they didn’t receive any formal notification from the Attorney General, and they were not given the chance to defend themselves’. The blockage was lift on 25 November.
(Nov.3) – Iqra TV Younis Hasasneh was arrested by the Palestinian intelligence service, in Hebron city, Hasasneh said that he went to the Civil Affairs Department to renew the passports of his parents and media worker in Iqra TV, where they intend to go to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage, but officials they told him to go to the institutions security to seal the documents. He went to their headquarters which is also headquarters for intelligence service, where he was arrested; I was questioned once and wasn’t subjected to any physical or psychological pressure and treated with respect". He was released on 9 November, after intervention of Iqra TV officials with the intelligence service in Hebron. Hasasneh was arrested with Iqra crew on 7 October 2007 by the Preventive Security Service in Ramallah city.
(Nov.4) - Al-Quds newspaper was prevented from entering the Gaza Strip, after a total ban on the strip by the Israeli occupation authorities. It is worth mentioning that it is the only daily which allowed distributing in Gaza Strip, while Ismail Haniyeh’s government has banned Al-Hayat Al –Jadidah and Al-Ayyam newspapers from distribution since July 27. Felesteen and Al-Resaleh newspapers which are issuing in Gaza are not allowed to distribute in the West Bank since 14 June 2007.
(Nov.4) - Quds press Agency correspondent in Tulkarem city, Saleem Ahmed Tayeh was summoned for investigation by the Palestinian intelligence service, Tayeh said that he was questioned about his work with Quds Press Agency, and if he has relationship with Aqsa TV, during two round investigation (every one lasted about 2 hours), then he was asked to come back after two days to complete the investigation, when he returned back he was investigated again about his journalistic work for two hours. Tayeh was detained for two days on 9 January by the intelligence services.
(Nov.6) - Foreign journalists were banned from entering Gaza Strip by the Israeli occupation authorities, after a siege imposed on Gaza strip on 4 November. The Foreign Press Association of Media appealed to the Israeli High Court of Justice on 24 November to allow media access to Gaza Strip.
(Nov.6) - Ramattan Agency crew (cameraman Mohammed Za’anin, soundman Ahmed Abu Shamala, and broadcasting technician Ahmed Abu Jamous), were arrested by the Palestinian police in Gaza city. Za’anin said that they were covering a symposium organized by the left-wing forces about the national unity, in live broadcasting for AlJazeera channel, when they finish, the police arrested them immediately, and transferred them to Sheikh Radwan police station, where they were questioned about their coverage of the symposium, which it was unlicensed according to the police, and that they aren’t permitted to cover illegal activities. They were released after about a quarter of an hour. Ramattan crew was arrested by Security forces in Gaza on 16 October.
(Nov.8) –Al- Quds TV coordinator in the West Bank Nawaf Al- Amer was summoned for investigation by the Palestinian intelligence service, Al Amir said that he was questioned about Quds TV, which was preparing to start broadcasting, the Ramattan Agency, nature of the relationship between them, and the names of media organizations that receive media services from Ramattan. Al-Quds channel started broadcasting on 11 November2008. Al- Amer was arrested by the Palestinian Preventive Security on 12 March and was released the next day.
(Nov.11) – Chief editor of Palestine today web site Awad Nabhan Abu Daqah was arrested in Khan Younis city (GS) by a group of security service. Abu Daqah said that a bout fifteen members of Palestinian police and internal security stormed their home and argued with His mother and small brother, because he lit a candle in the memory of President Yasser Arafat death, “politely I asked them to leave the house, actually they left, even their officer apologized. But they returned after five minutes and began to insult me and then beat me severely. After that they transferred me by their car to the security prison in Khan Younis, where they continued to attack me through the Road “. Abu Daqah was detained for about four hours, during which they insulted him, and the officer in charge threatened him with death, if he published about what happened to him.
(Nov.13) – Watan local TV in Ramallah director Moa’mar Orabi home in al- Jalazone refugee camp in the northern Ramallah city was raided by the Israeli occupation forces, Orabi said that Fifteen soldiers stormed the house at dawn and demanded him to leave it , but he refused, so they detained him in a room for about three hours, during which they searched the house and his personal computer and files.
(Nov.21) - AlJazeera television crews were banned from interring to the headquarters
of the Palestinian presidency (AlmuQuta’a) in Ramallah city, AJazeera’s office in Ramallah sources said that they are prevented from covering activities related to President Mahmoud Abbas, or events taking place in the presidency headquarters,
“No official boycott letter was received by AlJazeera; furthermore the channel hasn’t been informed of the reasons or justifications behind this decision".

(Nov.27) – Saudi AlJazeera newspaper correspondent Nael Nakhleh was arrested by the Palestinian intelligence service, Nakhleh said that he was summoned on Thursday (27 Nov.) for investigation by the intelligence service. He reached their headquarters in Ramallah at about 11 am, and then he was arrested there. He was put in cell till 8 pm, then they questioned him for a short time, after that he was under shabeh (hands cuffed and bound to the window) for four hours with two intervals of rest, then transferred to an empty cell , so he was forced to sleep on the ground. On Saturday at 3 am they investigated him about two news reports he published in the past, and then returned to the cell, where there are cover and mattress, he was released in the afternoon.
(Nov.29) - Al- Quds Radio reporter A’laa Salameh was arrested in Rafah city (GS) by Palestinian police, Salameh said that four members of the Palestinian police arrested him in Narrow Street in Rafah at about one pm, after he finished covering the pilgrims march At the Rafah crossing. They transferred him wrapped by police car to a deserted house, where they questioned him about his work in Al Quds Radio and personal issues, then they beat him and forced him to breakfast (he was fasting) with bread contaminated with sand, they released him at 3:20 pm.
(Nov.29) - Ramattan News Agency suspended its work in the Palestinian territories in protest against the harassment of its offices in the West Bank, Ramattan Regional Director in the West Bank and Jerusalem Essam Ekramawi said that this move was in protest against the delay in granting a license to the Agency since about year ago, the harassment against some of its employees, and the lack of necessary facilities for its work, in addition Ramattan crews were prevented from entering the Palestinian presidential headquarters in Ramallah.
(Nov.30) - Mohammed Ishtiwi, Office director of Aqsa TV in the West Bank was arrested in a street in Tulkarm city, while taking his young son to a medical clinic, by the Palestinian intelligence service. Ishtiwi was arrested the last time on 23 October by the Preventive Security Service in Ramallah city; he was released two days later. After his release he was being summoned each day for two weeks, where he was being forced to sit on a chair in the open for several hours, which aggravated his neck disease.