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Media freedoms violations in OPT during December 2008
Escalation of Israeli violations, and decrease of Palestinian violations
Mada center strongly condemns the killing of Algerian TV cameraman assistant Basil Ibrahim Faraj (22 years) from the Shojaiyeh neighborhood in Gaza city, who died last night (January 6) from wounds sustained in the first day of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip (Dec.27). This new crime is added to the Israeli occupation forces series of crimes against Palestinian journalists.
Last December witnessed increased Israeli attacks on Palestinian journalists and media outlets, whether by the occupation forces or settlers, while a decrease of violations by Palestinian sides was recorded, compared to previous months.
The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (Mada) is renewing its condemnation of the brutal war waged by Israel on the Gaza Strip since 27 December 2008, in which hundreds have been killed and thousands wounded. The war included attacks on journalists and media outlets, the injuring seriously of Algerian TV cameraman assistant Basil Ibrahim Faraj, and the destruction of the Aqsa TV headquarters being the most serious, which made the Palestinian radio stations in the Gaza Strip evacuate their headquarters in fear of the bombing. This constitutes a flagrant violation of all international laws and conventions.
Mada expresses its surprise at stetment by the dismissed government information office attacking Ramattan Agency and threats to sue it through the use of the law, because it did not cover a press conference for Hamas.
Mada is also surprised by the campaign on AlJazeera TV by some officials of the Palestinian National Authority and leaders of Fatah. And some Hamas supporter’s campaign against Al Jazeera correspondents in the West Bank. These campaigns could be a catalyst that could lead to attacks on its crews, despite the extraordinary efforts made by the crews of the Al Jazeera and Ramattan to cover the brutal war waged by Israel on Gaza, despite the significant risks.
While Mada welcomes the decrease of media freedom violations by Palestinian sides, it condemns all attacks on journalists and the Palestinian media outlets, and:
• Calls for the establishment of an international commission of inquiry in a series of attacks on journalists and media outlets by the Israeli occupation authorities, especially in light of the war’s escalation through January.
• Demands an end to the campaigns against Al-Jazeera and the Ramattan agency.
• Calls on the international community to stand firmly in the face of Israel to stop the war on Gaza and to respect article four of the Geneva Convention, to allow foreign journalists to enter the Gaza Strip.
• Demands the USA administration to stop its support for this war, especially as the continuation of the war means more pain, more causalities, and more attacks on journalists and media outlets.
Details of violations:
(Dec.2) - Pal Media cameraman A’mer Mahmoud Abdeen was attacked by Israeli settlers in Hebron city (WB). Abdeen said that he was with several journalists covering the settlers attacks on Palestinian homes near Rajabi house at 1 pm, when they were attacked by a group of settlers. They pursued them with rocks in the darkness, and when they were fleeing from the place, he fell in a hole, which caused bruises on his face, left hand and hip, and broke some parts of the camera. He was taken to Aliah hospital for treatment, where they stitched his face wounds (6 stiches).
(Dec.2) - Maan Local Agency photographer Sami al-Saa’i and its cameraman Muyad Ashqar were attacked by members of the Palestinian security services in Tulkarem city (WB). Al-Saa’i said that they were covering a lawyers’ sit-in, when a group of the security services in civilian clothing came and asked them to stop filming. He said, “They tried to take the camera by force and threw me on the ground, even they get support from a group of uniformed police, who pointed their weapons at me, and prepared it for fire, then they forced me in the police car by a humiliating manner with Ashqar. They took us to the police station in the city and there have contacted the police director, who expressed dismay at the incident." They released them shortly, after they promised not to publish the sit-in pictures, upon their request.
(Dec.4) - WAFA Agency photographer Hosam Abu Alan was attacked by the Israeli occupation forces and settlers in Hebron city. Abu Alan said that he was covering the evacuation of settlers from Rajabi house by the Israeli army, when one of the settlers kicked him. He tried to defend himself, but a group of Israeli soldiers attacked him and beat him with sticks and fists, then converged and took him to an estimated distance of 150 meters and said to him “don’t try to return back to the place. If you do you will die." A Palestinian citizen saw him and transferred him to Aliah hospital, where he received treatment for the injuries, especially in his right leg and right shoulder. It is worth mentioning that the settlers took over Rajabi house in Hebron city a few months ago, using the excuse that they have bought it. During that time they attacked many of the Palestinian citizens and houses, before and after the evacuation of the house in question.
(Dec.6)- Freelance journalist Mustafa Sabri’s home was shot at by unknown persons in Qalqilya city in the northern West Bank. Sabri said that unidentified men fired five bullets at the front door of his home at dawn. He was not injured, nor is any one of his family, as result of this criminal aggression.
(Dec.15) - Watan local TV cameraman Ibrahim Hammad was detained at a DSO checkpoint in Qalqilya city (WB) by the Israeli occupation soldiers. Hammad said that he was filming at about 12:30 pm at the checkpoint area, when the soldiers came to the place and took him to the headquarters of the checkpoint, where they detained him. They investigated him about his photography in the region, telling him that it was not permitted to film near the checkpoint. Then they took his camera and inspected it and confiscated the cassette inside, in addition to another cassette which was in his possession. They refused to return his camera, but they did after his insistence. He was released after about two hours and a half.
(Dec.16) – Quds Radio reporter Mohammed Abdul-Nabi was wounded by shrapnel from an Israeli missile. Abdul-Nabi said that he was trying to reach Beit Hanoun city (GS) to cover the Israeli shelling by two missiles from an Israeli helicopter, when an Israeli reconnaissance plane fired a rocket which exploded near him and wounded him in his left hand and left leg. He was taken to Awdah hospital in north Gaza, where he received first aid to stop the bleeding, and then was transferred to Shifa Hospital in Gaza, where he underwent an operation on his hand. Abdul-Nabi confirmed that there weren’t Palestinian gunmen near him, and two Palestinian women also were wounded in the incident.
(Dec.19) - Palestinian News Agency (WAFA) photographer Esam Huda Rimawi was wounded by a gas bomb fired by Israeli occupation forces in the village of Bila’in west of Ramallah. Rimawi said that the occupation soldiers fired a gas bomb at his left leg during his coverage of the weekly march against the Apartheid Wall in Bila’in. He received first aid at the scene, and later he was transferred to Sheikh Zayed hospital in Ramallah, where he received appropriate treatment. Rimawi said that an Israeli journalist was also injured.
(Dec.19) - Palestinian Media and Communication Company (PMCC) cameraman Mustafa Khabisah was wounded by the Israeli occupation forces in the village of Nea’lin, west of Ramallah. He said that he was covering the weekly anti-apartheid wall march in the village of Nea’lin, when the Israeli occupation forces fired a gas bomb which landed beside him, and then the soldiers started shooting at the march participants. He said, “One of them pointed his gun towards me. I told him I’m a journalist, and he said to me, ‘What are you doing? Go home.’ I went away and continued filming, and they fired two metal bullets at my left leg, I was wounded, although I was wearing a fluorescent vest with the word press." Khabisah received treatment at the scene, and then he was transferred to the Sheikh Zayed Hospital in Ramallah.
(Dec.26) – “Al-Hayat al-Jadidah" newspaper in Al-Bireh city was fired on by unknown people, according to the editor Ali Khalaf, who said, “At around 6:30 this evening, we heard the sound of gunfire at the headquarters of the newspaper; we discovered later five bullets were fired at an office, which broke the window of the empty office." The police came after ten minutes to investigate the incident; and they confirmed that the bullets were fired from a pistol.
(Dec.27)- Second Moroccan TV channel correspondent Khalid Sa’eed Abu Shammala (26), Algerian TV cameraman Mohammed Tanani (22), his assistant Basil Ibrahim Faraj (22 years), Algerian TV soundman Mohammed Madi, (28), suffered from serious and medium injuries, by the Israeli occupation forces. Abu Shammalah said that they were heading by car to Al-Shifa Hospital, near the tower of Ministry of prisoners in Tal al-Hawa neighborhood in Gaza city, when an Israeli warplane bombed the tower, Faraj was injured seriously in the head, Tanani and Madi were wounded in the head and left leg, while Abu Shammala was injured in the head, face and left hand, from rocket fragments and debris of the building and the car’s glass fragments. They were transferred to Shifa Hospital for treatment. The four is working with Palestinian Media and Communication Company (PMCC), which provide media services to different media outlets
(Dec.27) - Ramattan Agency cameraman assistant Ehab Shawa was wounded in Gaza city. Ramattan confirmed that he was injured by shrapnel from a rocket fired by Israeli warplanes while the Ramattan crew was covering the Israeli attack on Al-Abbas police station in Gaza city. Shawa was transferred to Shifa Hospital for treatment.
(Dec.28) – The headquarters of Aqsa Television was destroyed by Israeli occupation forces, in Gaza city. Israeli aircraft fired two missiles early in the morning at the headquarters of Aqsa TV in Gaza city, which destroyed it completely, but it continued to broadcast from a secret location, where one news announcer said, “This sound will continue its work to expose the crimes of the occupation." The bombing did not lead to any causality in the ranks of Aqsa TV staff, in view of the administration’s evacuation of the headquarters on the previous day. Palestinian Public Radio & TV headquarters was bombed and destroyed by the occupation forces on 19 January 2002.
(Dec.28) – Sawt al-Sha’b Radio frequency were penetrated by Israeli occupation forces in Gaza city, where they podcasted incitement against the resistance, and called on citizens not to cooperate with them. The radio administration denounced this action in a statement saying, “This is part of the aggression, which doesn’t spare anything."
