Ramallah - 01/02/2013: A decrease in violations of media freedoms against journalists and media outlets in occupied Palestine during the month of December 2012 has been observed, especially following the bloody month of November which was characterised by a profusion of violations, especially in the Gaza Strip. The month of December witnessed a grotesque violation of media freedoms and human dignity when occupation troops forced Reuters photographers Mamoun Wazwaz and Yusri Aljamal to remove their clothes in cold weather.
MADA Center has monitored several violations commited by Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank, focused primarily in the south (in the cities of Hebron and Bethlehem). In the Gaza Strip no violations by the Israeli occupation were witnessed, however journalists continue to work in difficult conditions due to the bombing of several media headquarters. Palestinian violations against journalists have also declined; MADA Center monitored two violations over the past month, one in the West Bank, the other in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Occupation Violations:
The days of 12th and 13th December witnessed an escalation of violations by the occupation against Palestinian journalists in city of Hebron in the West Bank. A group of journalists were beaten, targeted with tear gas grenades, arrested and insulted. This group included: Reuters photographers Mamoun Wazwaz and Yusry Aljamal, Al-Quds TV correspondent Akram Natshe, freelance reporter Muhammad Alzgiar, Associated Press photographers Nasser Shyoukhi and Hazem Bader, European Agency photographer Abdul Hafez Hashlamoun and Reuters photographer Ammar Awad.
The Israeli occupation forces also detained a group of journalists for an hour in the city of Bethlehem as they prepared reports on the occupation's attacks against the home of one of the Palestinians in Khader city, on Tuesday 18th December 2012. This group included: Al-Quds TV correspondent Mamdouh Hamamreh, Pal Media Agency cameraman Abdul Ghani Natshe, correspondent for Radio Bethlehem 2000 Fadi Al-A’ssa, and Al-Aqsa TV reporter Suhaib Al-A’ssa.
Palestinian Violations:
Regarding Palestinian internal issues, the Preventive Security Force raided the house of Al-Aqsa TV correspondent Ahmed Al-Khatib, arresting him for three days. The Hamas government in Gaza prevented the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate from holding celebrations honoring their members on Saturday 29th December 2012, on the grounds of illegality.
Conclusion and Recommendations:
The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) condemns all violations against media freedoms in Palestine and calls for both their cessation and for the respect of freedom of expression, guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
MADA congratulates journalists worldwide at the beginning of the New Year. It hopes that 2013 will be an improvement on the previous year and free of violations, as 2012 proved to be the worst year for many years for journalists in the state of Palestine and particularly countries such as Syria, Somalia, Mexico and Pakistan.
MADA also expresses its deep appreciation for Palestinian journalists, for their work and their dedication to covering events, particularly those most dangerous, in Palestine during 2012. They paid a heavy price in undertaking their work and revealing the truth during November, when three colleagues were lost during the Israeli aggression on Gaza. These colleagues include: Hussam Mohammed Salameh, Mahmud Ali Komi, and Mohamed Moussa Abu Eisha, in addition to many other journalists subjected to multiple attacks. Many headquarters of local, Arab and international media were shelled by the Israeli occupation, damaging several them in the Gaza Strip. The occupation forces also raided the headquarters of many media outlets, confiscated equipment and devices in the West Bank.
Details of Violations:
(12 Dec) The occupation forces attacked a number of journalists in Hebron as they reported on the martyr Mohamed Salaymeh, who was shot and killed by an Israeli soldier. The journalists include: Reuters photographers Mamoun Wazwaz and Yusry Aljamal, Al-Quds TV correspondent Akram Natshe and freelance reporter Muhammad Alzgiar. Wazwaz informed MADA that he and his colleagues were travelling to the old town in an agency car after having heared about Mohamed Salaymeh killing. However, around 400-500 meters ahead of their intended destination, they were impeded by Israeli soldiers who began shooting in the air and aiming lasers in their direction. Wazwaz and his team stopped the car and undertook safety measures to highlight their status as journalists.
He added: "despite that about ten soldiers approached and ordered us to get out of the car, they beat us madly, and ordered us to take off our clothes in a bitter cold. Then they fired tear gas grenades between our feet. It was a very scary situation, we were attacked by beat, tear gas and cursing while the weapons over our heads. I remembered my kids at the moment, where I thought I would never see them again”.
(13 Dec) The Israeli occupation forces attacked a group of journalists in Hebron, the West Bank, as they covered clashes that arose between Palestinians and Israeli occupation forces on 13th December 2012. Associated Press photographer Nasser Shyoukhi informed MADA that he and three colleagues (AP photographer Hazem Bader, European Agency photographer Abdul Hafez Hashlamoun and Reuters photographer Ammar Awad) were reporting on recent clashes between Palestinians and occupation forces near Tareq ben Zaid school, when soldiers approached, denying them permission to film and ordering them to evacuate the area. The journalists refused and Hazem Bader was subsequently arrested by a soldier. Shyoukhi added: "We insisted to cover, so they threat to arrest all of us, even so we refused and demanded them to release Bader, they were talking with us in a very mean way".
Bader told MADA: "They arrested me for about 45 minutes in a very brutal way, where they tied my hands behind my back, beat me on my feet and my back, and cursing me all the time. One of the soldiers tried to fabrication charge me that I tried to assault him, but my colleagues of photographers documented the arrest. They released me after the intervention of the French Agency Office and communication with the army spokesman in the region".
(18 Dec) The Israeli occupation forces detained a group of journalists in the city of Bethlehem as they prepared reports on Tuesday 18th December 2012. The journalists include: Al-Quds TV correspondent Mamdouh Hamamreh, Pal Media Agency cameraman Abdul Ghani Natshe, correspondent for Radio Bethlehem 2000 Fadi Al-A’ssa, and Al-Aqsa TV reporter Suhaib Al-A’ssa. Mamdouh Hamamreh informed MADA Center that he went with a number of colleagues to prepare reports on the attacks by settlers on a house in the village of Alkhader, near Bethlehem city, and the suffering such attacks inflicted upon the household. Hamamreh reported: "While we were doing our work, a group of Israeli soldiers came, banned us from filming, and detained us for about an hour, and then they released us, but we could not do our job”.
(18/12) A number of Preventive Security members raided the home of Al-Aqsa TV correspondent Ahmed Al-Khatib, arresting him subsequent to searching his house in Betunya town near Ramallah, on the evening of Tuesday 18th December 2012. According to Khatib, the Preventive Security Force arrested him for three days, interrogating him over his work as a journalist and his salary, in addition to other personal questions. Khatib reported: "I was so disturbed from the way they entered the house and searched it, they also made me disable to work for three days. For treatment it was good, I did not subjected to any harassment".
(29 Dec) The Government Media Office and internal security service of the Hamas government in Gaza prevented the Palestinian Journalist Syndicate from holding a ceremony honoring its members in Gaza on Saturday 29th December 2012. The Syndicate distributed invitations to journalists to attend the celebration at Alsalam restaurant in Gaza City at 12 noon, to honor journalists in Gaza for their efforts. They were told on Thursday 27th December 2013 to cancel the ceremony. The Syndicate secretary in Gaza, journalist Yousef Alostaz, told MADA center that he had received a call both from the Government Media Office and from the Internal Security Service informing him that Palestinian Journalists Syndicate is not permitted to hold the celebration due to the organisation’s illegality.
