The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) published a special report today highlighting the reality of the Internet and freedom of expression in Palestine, where the World Wide Web has become one of the most important tools of communication between individuals around the world, where the Internet has formed a broad space for the flow of information and exchange of ideas in all languages. In the past few years social networks started a new revolution in the world of communication.
Mr. Mousa Rimawi, MADA;s general director, stated that The Internet and the broad tools of communication made available by the social networks gained great importance specifically in the lives of Palestinians in Gaza, who have been under firm siege by the Israeli occupation forces since 2006, and for the Palestinian people in general due to the dispersion they have experienced since the Nakba of 1948, and now they can communicate with their relatives and friends in the different parts of the world quickly and immediately.
Rimawi added that The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) realized the importance of the social networks as platforms that allow citizens to express themselves, Therefore MADA published a study about two years ago on "the new media relationship to freedom of opinion and expression in Palestine: Facebook as a model", the most significant results of the study was that 67% of Palestinians who participated in answering the questionnaire and who use Facebook believed that facebook contributes to the promotion of freedom of expression, as opposed to 33% who said it has no contribution. The content analysis of the Palestinian groups on Facebook also showed that there is no culture of accepting the opinion of others and that there is a verbal attack and intolerance during an exchange of views in these groups.
Rimawi explained that the internal division captured the attention of many, which was dominated by the style of accusations, insults, defamation, treason, and blasphemy during a lot of discussions, this wasted the opportunity of those groups for a peaceful dialogue to discuss a lot of societal issues, and try to promote civil peace.
Director of the General Administration of Communications at the Ministry of Communications, Engineer Florid Zurba, said that there is a difficulty in access to all areas in Palestine, especially some of the villages, due to the blockade and the separation wall and Area C which increases the costs kink lines required to connect the Internet, which increases the price for this service.
He adds: "For example, the maximum speed of home Internet reach up to 12 megabits per second, which is the provided speed by the access lines, while the speed of commercial Internet that connects via optical fiber are unspecific and high. Prices range for home Internet service range from 60 to 300 shekels a month depending on speed (approximately 17-84 USD), the commercial Internet service begins at almost 180 shekels per month (approximately 50 USD).
The Executive Director of the Association of Internet community in Palestine Hanna Quraytem, reported that the price and the infrastructure control the Palestinians' ability to access the Internet. He believes that the biggest problem facing internet access is related to the Israeli occupation, which prevents Palestinians from getting third and fourth generation Internet service on their mobile phones, which limits their ability to communicate immediately with others and participate in events and express themselves immediately and directly from anywhere. The unlimited Internet speed gives people the ability to communicate faster and use sophisticated techniques, such as direct broadcasting and video, which most Palestinians are unable to do.
MADA monitored during the past 20 months attacks on journalists for expressing their opinion on facebook, and some journalists reported to MADA that security services attempted to force them during investigation to reveal their emails and social profiles passwords, and this report will shed light on the reality of the internet in Palestine and the violations committed against journalists for expressing their opinions on the social networks.
The violations against Facebook users and bloggers confirms that the authorities control and follow social networks in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with increased oversight in the last two years after the success of the revolutions in a number of Arab countries, especially Tunisia and Egypt, where youth played a primary role in coordinating and mobilizing the masses through social networks.
Riham Abu Aita, MADA’s Public Relations Officer, stated that violations against journalists and citizens simply for expressing their opinions lead to the strengthening of self-censorship, which is incompatible with the idea of having the social platforms that is suppose to make it easier for citizens and journalists to express their opinions.
Abu Aita added that therefore MADA calls on all relevant authorities in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to stop Internet censorship, end the infringement on the right of journalists and citizens to express their views on social networks, stop violating their privacy and don’t pressure them to reveal their passwords, and to respect freedom of opinion and expression guaranteed in Article 19 of the Palestinian Basic Law and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
MADA center thanks the Open Society Foundations for its support for publishing the special report
