The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) is pleased to join the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), based in Canada, and which include more than eighty international, regional and national organizations, from different continents, engaged in the defense of freedom of opinion and expression.

The General Meeting of IFEX, which held its meetings this year in the Norwegian capital of Oslo, voted yesterday on MADA membership, and membership of other organizations from different countries, which have become members in IFEX.

MADA was represented in the GM, by columnist and theater director Omar Kitmitto, where he made a speech, in which he expressed MADA pride of accepting its membership in IFEX, which will motivate it to make more efforts to defend freedom of opinion and expression in Palestine, and its participation with other member organizations in their efforts to promote media freedom in the world.

He said as you know we are living in an area which didn’t live in peace since decades, due to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, the occupation forces being not only the sole aggressor against journalists and media outlets until the mid nineties, but it made all efforts to prevent Palestinian media development, through tough censorship, closing media outlets, banning of issuing of new media outlets and other measures

We believe that there can be no freedom of expression under the occupation, which is simply the enemy of freedom and human rights, as it is difficult to talk about putting an end to the dramatic escalation of the violations without reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas movements.

At the end of his speech, Kitmitto stressed that MADA can contribute to IFEX work, through submission of suggestions and ideas, participation in the General meetings and Conferences, and a number of other activities, also he thanked the of the General Meeting members for their vote in favor of MADA membership in IFEX.

MADA will be the only Palestinian member in IFEX.