The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (Mada) expresses deep concern over the escalating deterioration in media freedoms in the Palestinian territories during the past few days.
Last night those words emerged on the homepage of the independent Ramatan News Agency, “Ramatan suspend work at its offices in the Palestinian territories in protest against the harassment of its offices in the West Bank."
The Regional Director for Ramatan in the West Bank and Jerusalem Essam E’kramawi said that this move was in protest against the delay in granting a license to the agency since about year ago, in addition to the harassment against some of its employees, and the lack of necessary facilities for its work.
Ramatan main office is in Cairo, and has offices in several Palestinian cities, Arab capitals, such as Sana’a and Kuwait. It provides news and media services to local, Arab and international TV stations.
The Palestinian Preventive Security Service arrested Mohamed Ishtiwi, office director of Aqsa TV in the West Bank, today afternoon in Tulkarem city (WB). Ishtiwi was arrested last month by the same apparatus, and summoned for investigation several times during this month.
Journalist A’la Salameh, who works with Al-quds Radio, which broadcast from Gaza city, was beaten and humiliated by the security agencies belonging to the dismissed government in Rafah city (Gaza Strip).
In Ramallah city, Nael Mahmoud Nakhleh, Al-Jazeera newspaper (issuing in Saudi Arabia) and al-Bian magazine (issuing in London) correspondent, was arrested after he was summoned for investigation by the Palestinian intelligence service, last Thursday (27 November), and was released yesterday afternoon.
This deterioration is a reflection of the escalating tension between Fatah and Hamas, after failure of the national dialogue between Palestinian factions on November 9, and following the escalating crisis over the issue of pilgrims travel from Gaza Strip to Saudi territory.
Mada condemns these blatant violations of media freedoms in the Palestinian territories, calls upon the two parties to stop them, and to refrain from pushing them in internal disputes and to allow journalists and media outlets to work freely and safely. Mada also calls for the release of all journalists held by the security services in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.