“MADA”: violations against media freedom in Palestine increased to 31 during September

Ramallah – (10th Oct. 2020) – September has witnessed an increase in the number of violations against media freedoms in Palestine. The Palestinian Center for Development & Media Freedoms “MADA” has documented a total of 31 violations compared to 11 only documented during August. 

This increase came as a result of the Israeli assaults against journalists and media outlets during their coverage of peaceful Palestinian activities, which have expanded relatively this month compared to the preceding month (despite the circumstances caused by the spread of Corona epidemic and its repercussions on various public activities). This is in addition to the increase in the number of Palestinian violations that took place in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as the closure of three pages of journalists and news sites by Facebook Company.

 

Israeli Violations:

The number of Israeli violations increased from 4 documented in August to 13 violations documented in September. All the Israeli violations fall under the grave and serious assaults against the lives of journalists and media freedoms in Palestine. They included the injury of 7 journalists with metal bullets and gas bombs or by targeting them with direct physical assaults by soldiers and settlers, arresting three other journalists, preventing press crews from coverage, and confiscating a vehicle for Palestine TV. 

These violations included the injuries of journalists: Fadi Abdelraheem Yasine (assaulted), Mahmoud Fawzi Abdelghani (metal gunshot in the shoulder), Jafar Ishtayya (assaulted by settlers), Adel Ibrahim Abu Neima (assaulted by settlers+suffocated acutely in two separate incidents), Nidal Taher Ishtayya (two metal gunshots in the flank and armpit), and Nasser Ishtayya (direct gas bomb on the upper back), and the arrest of journalists: Osama Hussein Shahine (few days after he was transferred to administrative arrest for four months), Abdelmuhsen Shalaldeh and Mujahed Hamdallah Mardawi while returning from abroad. This is in addition to preventing Palestine TV staff from covering a peaceful event against the settlement, and preventing the TV staff to cover the demolition procedures of residences located in the valleys and seizing the TV vehicle. 

Moreover, the Israeli Occupation Forces, at dawn (on the 1st of Oct.) have arrested the journalist Tarek Abu Zaid after raiding his house located in Nablus City. 

 

Palestinian Violations: 

The Palestinian violations witnessed a remarkable increase during September, reaching 15 violations, compared to only 6 Palestinian violations that took place during August.

While the West Bank witnessed only one Palestinian violation during August, the number increased during July to 9 violations, while there was no significant change in the number of violations documented in Gaza, which reached 5 and 6 violations during August and September respectively.

The Palestinian violations documented during September included: subjecting the cameraman of An-Najah TV to a series of summons and questioning by the Preventive Security Services, summoning the journalist Samer Khwaira and questioning him by the Preventive Security Services in Nablus, threatening the journalist Ahmad Atef Al-Barsh by the General Investigations and Internal Security in Gaza, questioning and forcing him to delete material on his Page about the situation in Gaza Strip, preventing Kholoud Fatafta by the Palestinian Police to cover a march in Ramallah against CEDAW, preventing the media outlets by the Palestinian Police to cover a protesting sit-in by lawyers and judges in Ramallah, arresting the journalist Ameen Khaled Al-Hajeen by the Internal Security in Gaza for three days after summoning him. 

 

Details of September Violations: 

(1st Sep.) The Occupation soldiers assaulted Palestine TV cameraman Fadi Yasine while he was covering a demonstration against the settlement. 

According to MADA researcher, Fadi Abdelraheem Ibrahim Yasine (42 years old), from Tulkarem, Palestine TV cameraman, went with his coworker Ihab Al-Damera and a group of other journalists to Shoufa Village to cover a peaceful protesting sit-in organized by the families above the lands threatened with confiscation by the Israeli Occupation. Yasine was wearing the Press mask, holding his camera, tripod, and live streaming device while covering the sit-in. At around 12:30PM, while he was filming the demonstrators making a report along with his coworker on the event, clashes took place between the demonstrators and Occupation soldiers. The soldiers started suppressing the demonstrators and assaulting each other violently, especially the old man Khairi Hanoun, who was knocked out by the soldiers, one of whom pressed his knee to Khairi’s neck and almost suffocated him making a scene that widely spread and caused outrage. Some journalists tried to jump in to stop the assault which almost resulted in the death of the mentioned citizen. Yasine approached, just like the remaining journalists, the citizen on the ground to film him and document the assault. Meanwhile, more soldiers arrived and started dispersing the journalists and shouting at them. At that moment, Yasine heard one of the officers asking a soldier to arrest him (arrest Yasine), so the cameraman Yasine moved away, and the soldier followed him trying to catch him, but he managed to escape from him, so a group of soldiers ran after him and grabbed his clothes trying to knock him to the ground, and seize his camera, but he managed to escape again, so they continued to run after him, and they caught and beat him, which resulted in bruising him in both hands, left leg and neck around which one of the soldiers wrapped his hand strongly. Immediately a number of his fellow journalists intervened and took him away from the soldiers who were after him while they were under gas bombs while they were moving away.

 

(1st Sep.) The Palestinian Preventive Security Services subjected the cameraman and director of An-Najah TV, Kanan Sabri Kanan to a series of summons and detention after he was questioned about his work for An-Najah TV. 

According to MADA researcher, Kanan Sabri Hassan Kanan (36 years old), from Nablus, a director and cameraman for An-Najah University TV, on Tuesday, corresponding 1st Sep. 2020, received a phone call from a person who introduced himself as an officer of the Preventive Security Services and informed him to come to the headquarters at 10:00AM on Thursday, corresponding 3rd Sep. 2020, and confirmed to him that he must show up on time to avoid being arrested should he fail to show up or meet the scheduled time. On the said date, Kanan went to the Preventive Security headquarters in Nablus, and there he was sent to the Political Security Department at the headquarters, and after waiting for about 4 hours, he was taken to an office in which there was an investigating officer, who questioned him about his relationship with Hamas and his activities therein, but Kanan denied his affiliation with any party. He was also questioned about his relationship with people about 15 years ago, so he told them that he had known them a long time ago and that he was previously questioned about that when he was arrested for several days in 2012 without being charged with any charges. One of the investigators asked him about his current work and what he is filming, and his relationship with his co-worker, director of An-Najah TV, Abdelrahman Al-Thaher, so he told them that it is a collegial relationship based on work. He was also asked about a "Promo" he filmed with Abdelrahman Al-Thaher and was broadcasted on ROYA TV, and whether he was filming media materials in partnership with Abdelrahman for any local or foreign stations. After that, he was taken from the investigation office, and about two hours later, they took his personal belongings and told him that he was under arrest. He was taken to one of the cells, and he was never questioned again. At 11:30PM on the same night, Kanan was released, provided one of his family members shall come to collect him, and before his departure, they informed to come back on 7th Sep. 2020. Accordingly, at 9:00AM on 7th Sep. 2020, Kanaan arrived at the Preventive Security Services in the city of Nablus, but he was not asked or questioned, and after he was detained for several hours, he was released and given a new schedule to come again, so that the scenario of summoning and detention for several hours happens again without any interrogation, on 14th, 20th, and 30th Sep. 2020.

 

(4th Sep.) The General Investigations in Jabalia, northern Gaza summoned journalist Ahmed Al-Borsh against the background of his writings on social media including Facebook, addressing the suffering of citizens of Gaza from poor economic conditions, increasing poverty, and unemployment rates.

According to MADA field researcher, Ahmad Atef Ahmad Al-Borsh (26 years old), from Jabalia, works for “Al-Hayat Press” website and a reporter for the Republic of Yemen Radio, received on Thursday corresponding 3rd Sep. 2020 a threat on the phone from the Internal Security Director Ameen Awad that he would abduct him and cause him a permanent disability if he would not stop posting about the real citizens of Gaza are facing in light of the difficult economic conditions unless he deletes his posts. On the following day, (Friday 4th Sep. 2020) a police jeep with 9 officers inside it arrived at around 10:00AM to his house. He escaped without anyone noticing him, the police officers left him a summons under which he has to go to the Internal Security headquarters. On the following day (Saturday 5th Sep. 2020), he went alone to the police station. Upon his arrival, he was taken to a cell where he stayed from 7:40AM to 7:00PM without being questioned. While he was in the cell, he asked the cell guard to allow him to make a phone call, and after negotiations between them, the guard asked him to pay for it, and Al-Borsh complied and gave him 100 shekels that he had with him, the guard took 25NIS and returned the remaining to him. Al-Borsh contacted his colleagues, Alaa Salama (broadcaster for Palestine Today TV) and the reporter of the same Channel Akram Daloul, asking them to intervene, but they advised him to contact the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate Chairman, Tahseen Al-Astal, and he did. The latter promised he will intervene and contact the Minister of Interior to release him on the same day. At around 7:00PM, Al-Borsh was summoned to the Investigations Office where he was asked to immediately unlock his cell phone and delete all of the posts on the suffering of Gaza citizens. They also asked him to sign on several papers including a written pledge not to write or post again about anything related to Hamas Government and not to object to the living standard in Gaza, and he responded, as he was threatened with imprisonment and financial fine payment, then he was released. 

On the following day (6th Sep.) Al-Borsh cousin, a policeman in Hamas Government, visited him in his house, forcibly took the cell phone from his hands, and smashed it. 

 

(5th Sep.) The Palestinian Police prevented journalist Kholoud Fatafta from filming a march organized by the “Mass Mobilization to bring down CEDAW” in Ramallah. 

 According to MADA researcher, the journalist Kholoud Mohammad Fatafta (31 years old), works for “Madar Al-Sa’a” Jordanian News Agency, has seen, around 5:00PM on Saturday 5th Sep. 2020, a protesting march against CEDAW heading from Al-Quds Street towards Al-Manarah Square, central Ramallah City, and started filming the march and broadcasting it live on her Facebook page. The security officers, who were in military and civilian uniforms, intercepted the march and tried to prevent it from moving forward. In the meantime, Fatafta was filming and broadcasting what was happening from the balcony of a cafe overlooking Al-Manarah Square and Jerusalem Street, where two people who introduced themselves as Palestinian intelligence officers approached her, prevented her from filming, took the cell phone from her, and deleted the video she filmed. At about 5:30PM, she headed to Al-Manarah Square and started filming again, several people (from the intelligence services) came to her and asked her to stop filming, but when she showed them her press card, they left her, and after a minute, someone came back and pulled her phone from her by force and handed it over to a policewoman who was there.

When she showed her press card, they left her, but a minute later, someone came back and forcibly pulled her cell phone, cursed and shouted at her, and gave her cell phone to a policewoman who was present there. The journalist demanded her cell phone back but the policewoman denied. A few minutes later, a police officer came and returned her phone and asked her to step back (away from the demonstration) and stop filming, but she started filming again and broadcasting live, until one of the security officers (in civilian clothing)told her to stop filming and addressed her: “put your phone down, you cannot film here”. 

 

(5th Sep.) Facebook Company closed no less than three news pages belonging to Palestinian journalists during September. 

According to MADA researcher, Facebook Company has closed the page of freelance journalist Imad Ali Issa Jabreen, from Taqou, southern Bethlehem, on 5th Sep. 2020, suddenly and without sending him any prior warnings or messages stating that he has published things that violate Facebook's public policies and standards. Journalist Jabreen has been running the aforementioned page for about ten years, and it included full documentation of his various works, including filming, videos, correspondence, or links related to his journalistic work. On 7th Sep. 2020, he contacted Facebook Company about the closure, but he did not receive any response. As a result, the journalist Jabreen created another account on Facebook on 10th Sep. 2020, but it was closed two days later. After that, journalist Jabreen created another account in the period between 15th – 20th Sep. 2020 and did not publish anything related to news or anything else, but it was closed again after three days.

On 10th Sep. 2020, Facebook Company also closed “Taqou Al-Hadath” Page, a sociopolitical news page that posts events and news about Taqou Town, and in which journalist Imad Issa works as an “admin”.

On 5th Sep. 2020, Facebook Company closed “Ultra Palestine” website the publishes social, and cultural news as well as journalistic investigations, in addition to various news about the world. 

 

During 2019, the "Ultra Palestine" website received several warning messages by Facebook Administration about published materials that violate the content of the basic publishing standards, as claimed. The admins of the page were unable to post detailed news and were only allowed to post by the link. At the end of August 2020, Ultra Palestine page received a warning message from Facebook Administration stating that there was news published in 2017 that violated the standards of publishing, and the news related to a Tunisian citizen who was assassinated. On 5th Sep. 2020, the page received a message that I cannot post due to "not observing publishing standards" and without explaining the reason, noting that the page has been on Facebook for about 4 years, and it has hundreds of thousands of followers, and it has been promoted greatly on Facebook.

 

(7th Sep.) The Occupation Army has arrested journalist Osama Shaheen from his house located in Imreish Village, southern Hebron, and transferred him, a few days after, to administrative detention for four months. 

 According to MADA researcher, a force of the Israeli Occupation Army raided, at around 3:00AM, on Monday corresponding 7th Sep. 2020, the house of journalist Osama Hussein Yousef Shaheen (39 years old), who works as a reporter for Bilset News Website. The soldiers smashed the house main door with the equipment they brought for this purpose, and around 10 soldiers spread out inside the house, detained journalist Shaheen along with his wife and three kids (the oldest is ten years and the youngest is four) in one room. The soldiers asked Osama to bring his identity card and personal cell phone, and they began a thorough and violent search inside the rooms of the house, during which the soldiers threw the closets on the floor and scattered the kitchenware. The search continued inside the house until 4:00AM, after which the soldiers drove the journalist Shaheen to his family's house, about 50 meters away from his house, where another force of soldiers was searching the house. At around 4:30AM, the force withdrew from the house after arresting the journalist Shaheen and seizing his cell phone. Journalist Shaheen was transferred with more than 20 other citizens who were arrested that night to an army camp in "Otniel" settlement, east of Dura, and there Shaheen stayed for about two hours with the rest of the detainees. Then they were taken to “Telem” settlement, western Hebron, where they stayed for 5 hours. Several detainees were released, while journalist Shaheen, accompanied by other detainees, was transferred to Ofer prison, west of Ramallah. Three days following his arrest, he was transferred to administrative arrest for 4 months, and then he was transferred to Negev Desert Prison. His family learned from his lawyer that the soldiers have assaulted him in detention. 

 

(7th Sep.) The Palestinian Police prevented a group of journalists from covering a protest sit-in and a press conference for a group of judges and lawyers in front of the courts complex in Al-Bireh City. 

According to MADA researcher, the Palestinian Police placed iron barriers in front of the courts complex building which is housing the High Judicial Council. Hours before the start of a protest sit-in and a press conference that was scheduled to take place there at 10:00AM on 7th Sep. 2020, the sit-in was prevented and so the conference was scheduled to take place there. Journalist Jihan Awad, who provides news service for "Al-Jazeera Live", arrived to prepare for the live broadcast of the event. Upon her arrival, she managed to take a picture of the security personnel who were setting up barriers in front of the courts complex and posted it on social media.

Jihan, from far away, and after she got out of the vehicle, managed to take pictures of security officers placing the barriers in front of the courts complex from all sides. Her colleague noticed some officers pointing at her while she was taking the pictures. A few minutes later, the security officers announced that there is a decision preventing filming and stopping the event inside and outside the courts complex. Al-Jazeera Live staff had to wait on the opposite side of the police officers, but two officers followed them and stood beside them to watch whether they were going to film anything secretly. More journalists and media outlets started to arrive, including Watan TV staff. Watan TV reporter, journalist Nizar Habash, upon arrival, grabbed the cell phone and began filming. Immediately, one of the security officers told him it was not allowed to film there. In the meantime, another security officer approached the journalists and asked them if anyone had taken any pictures, and told them to delete anything that was filmed, without anyone answering him. The press crews waited to see if they would be allowed to cover, to no avail, and the police justified this that the preventing the event or filming it is decided by “higher bodies” that were not specified, which forced them to go outside the iron barriers where the lawyers and judges were standing. Some of the officers approached them also there and told Watan staff not to film the security officers and put down the camera when he saw Watan cameraman trying to film one of the security officers. 

 

(10th Sep.) The Occupation forces have arrested journalist Abdelmuhsen Shalaldah after raiding his house in Sa'ir, Hebron. 

On 10th Sep. 2020, the Occupation soldiers have arrested the cameraman and journalist of (j-media) Abdelmuhsen Shalaldah, 29 years old, from Sai’r, Hebron. 

According to MADA researcher, a force of the occupation army, at 4:00AM, on Thursday, corresponding 10th Sep. 2020, raided the house of Abdelmuhsen Shalaldah (29 years old), from Sai’r, and works for (j-media). He was arrested and taken to one of the Army sites in Al-Fureidis Mount (a territory between Bethlehem and Taqou). He stayed there until 8:00AM without taking any procedures against him and then he was taken to Etzion Investigation Center, where he was questioned about his journalistic work. An officer told him not to focus too much while filming the events (clashes, suppressions, demolitions, and other procedures done by the Israeli Army in Hebron) and to film all sides and aspects. At around 11:00AM, he was released. 

It is noteworthy that journalist Abdelmuhsen was wounded by a rubber bullet in the head, fired at him by one of the Israeli soldiers on 2nd February 2020, while he was doing his normal job. The process of arresting him and asking him to stop filming the soldiers’ attacks is the fourth time by the Army.

 

(18th Sep.) The journalist Mahmoud Fawzi Abdelghani was injured by a metal gunshot while covering the peaceful march against settlement in Kufr Qadoum. 

According to MADA researcher, Mahmoud Fawzi Mahmoud Abdelghani (35 years old), a freelance cameraman, arrived at Kufr Qadoum, at around 11:30AM, on Friday, corresponding 18th Sep. 2020, to cover the weekly peaceful march demanding the opening of the village street which has been closed for years. It should be noted that this march is usually suppressed by the Israeli Army. When the march launched after the midday prayers, clashes erupted with the occupation soldiers who were hiding between the trees. At about 1:45PM while Abdelghani was about 50 meters away from the soldiers, and about 200 meters away from the demonstrators, accompanied by his colleague, the photojournalist Abdullah Qaddumi and other journalists, while they were wearing their press uniforms, was shot by a rubber-coated metal bullet in his right shoulder. Several young men helped him and took him to an ambulance that was parked 150 meters away, and there he was provided with the first aid, and the paramedics advised him to go to the hospital to follow up on his injury.

 

(18th Sep.) The occupation soldiers and settlers assaulted several journalists, while they were covering an event organized by the national forces and events to plant trees in the lands of Asira Al-Qibliya village in Nablus, which is threatened with confiscation. 

According to MADA researcher, the journalist Jafar Zahed Ishtayya (52 years old), a cameraman for the French Agency, arrived at around 10:30AM, on 18th Sep. 2020, in the morning. There was a great number of Israeli soldiers and settlers, and they immediately tried to push him away and prevent him from filming or getting close to the event, which made him unable to take any of the photos he wanted. As a result, Ishtayya and several journalists were able to go up to a location higher than the event’s location to film the assaults of the soldiers and settlers against the demonstrators in the peaceful march. Soon later, several settlers headed towards the journalists and one of them assaulted Ishtayya with a big stick, not to mention that others have assaulted him and his colleagues by beating them with their hands which resulted in the injury of Ishtayya with bruises in his right hand and left shoulder until he received first aid in the field. During that, one of the soldiers threw a sound bomb at Palestine TV cameraman Samer Mustafa Abdel Hadi Habash (36 years old), which fell next to him but did not cause him any harm. The soldiers also prevented him and his colleague, TV reporter Baker Mohammad Sabah Abdul-Haq, from coverage while settlers pushed them away from the place.

Meanwhile, Reuters cameraman, Adel Ibrahim Abu Nimah, from Jericho who had arrived at the same place to cover the event, was assaulted by several settlers, who tried to beat him with sticks they were carrying while filming the event, which prompted him to flee quickly as his foot slipped into a hole and he fell to the ground the moment he escaped from them, while one of the soldiers prevented settlers from approaching him (after his fall), and as a result, he suffered a sprain in the ankle of his right foot and scratches in his left hand, knowing that he was far from the citizens participating in the event of planting trees at that time.

 

(20th Sep.) The Internal Security in Gaza Strip arrested the journalist Ameen Khaled Al-Hajeen after he was summoned. 

According to MADA researcher, Ameen Khaled Al-Hajeen (27 years old), lives in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, a reporter of Al-Shorouq Algerian Newspaper, received on Sunday, 20th Sep. 2020, a phone call from Beith Lahia Investigations, asking him to come to the Investigations headquarters at 6:30PM “only for ten minutes … it's important”. When he went to Beit Lahia Investigations, he was taken after fifteen minutes via a military vehicle to the Internal Security Headquarters in Al-Sheikh Zayed (Education Square). Upon his arrival at around 7:00PM, he was taken to solitary confinement and detained until the next day (Monday 21st Sep. 2020). Then he was taken out of the cell to the interrogation room where three investigators were waiting. The interrogation lasted about two hours and focused on his posts on Facebook, in which he criticizes the general situation in Gaza Strip. During the interrogation, he was insulted and beaten with بقطعة جلدية "فلكة. At about 2:00PM, he was returned to his cell, and they asked him to call his brother Ahmad and ask him to delete the post on his page in which he announced his arrest, as a condition for his release. Indeed, he called his brother and the post was deleted, but they did not release him. In the evening hours, he was transferred to Kamal Adwan Hospital due to a sudden fatigue condition (shortness of breath, dizziness, emaciation, and cramps), and there he was examined in the hospital and given the necessary treatment, and then he was returned to the headquarters of the Internal Security Services and placed in the cell again. On the third day, at around 12:00PM, he was released after his belongings were returned to him (the cell phone and personal card). 

It should be noted that Al-Hajeen was arrested three times by the Internal Security Services and he was asked to sing on pledges not to stir up public emotion by criticizing the general situation in Gaza Strip. 

 

(22nd Sep.) The Palestinian Preventive Security summoned the journalist Samer Khwaira and questioned him about his posts. 

According to MADA researcher, Samer Ameen Saed Khwaira, from Nablus, a reporter and program presenter at “Hayat” Radio, received at around 9:00PM, on Tuesday corresponding 22nd Sep. 2020, a phone call asking him to come on the following morning (Wednesday) to the Preventive Security headquarters in Nablus. The caller told him “Come have a cup of coffee with us”, and Khwaira answered that he is a member of the Journalists Syndicate and if they want him to come they have to summon him through the Syndicate. The caller replied that it is only “a chat not summoning” and that he could go next week, on Sunday, corresponding 27th Sep. 2020, but it was deferred to the following day (Monday 28th Sep. 2020). At 10:00AM, on Monday corresponding 28th Sep. 2020, Khwaira went to the Preventive Security headquarters in Nablus, and after waiting for a few minutes, he was taken to a room of the Institutions Security where he was questioned for two hours about the institutions in the city, in particular Nablus Municipality. He was also questioned about the news he published on the Municipality and his sources of information. He was told that some of his posts “cause disturbance in the city” and it would be better if the Institutions Security Services is informed because it helps in controlling such disturbance and prosecuting corruption within the Municipality, and the city in general. Most of the questions revolved around his Facebook posts. The officer asked him to cooperate in any corruption issue or case, as his role as a journalist is to help them end any problems that may happen in the city. 

 

(23rd Sep.) The occupation authorities have arrested journalist Mujahed Mardawi at Al-Karamah Bridge, on his way back from Malaysia where he was completing his studies. 

According to MADA researcher, Mujahed Hamdallah Mujahed Mardawi (27 years old), from Habla in Qalqilya, on his way back from Malaysia where he was completing his higher studies in Public Relations, at Al-Karamah Bridge at around 9:00AM, on 23rd Sep. 2020, was informed by one of the Israeli intelligence officers there that he was under arrest. He was allowed to call his family and inform them of what happened. His father said that he had received a phone call from a strange number, but turned out to be Mujahed who informed him that he was being detained by the Israeli intelligence without knowing the reason, and he could not tell him any other details, or identify the location of his detention and ended the call.

Mardawi’s family was able to learn from his lawyer later that he was arrested at “Petah Tikva” Investigation Center and that a court session was scheduled for him on 29th Sep. 2020 but was deferred to 6th Oct. 2020 in Al-Jalamah. 

 

(25th Sep.) The photojournalist Nidal Ishtayya was shot with two metal bullets fired at him by the occupation soldiers while he was covering a demonstration against settlement in Kufr Qadoum. 

According to MADA researcher, Nidal Shafeeq Taher Ishtayya (50 years old), a cameraman of Xinhua News Agency, arrived on Friday 25th Sep. 2020, to Kufr Qadoum, Qalqilya, to cover the weekly march organized there against settlement and to close the town’s entrance that has been going for years. Upon his arrival, he began filming the march that started from Omar Mosque in the center of the town and crossed several hundreds of meters heading towards the entrance to the town. Meanwhile, clashes were taking place between the demonstrators and the occupation soldiers who were deployed in the neighboring fields, and who were firing metal bullets and tear gas bombs at the demonstrators. At about 1:15PM, the confrontations intensified and the journalists covering these events dispersed in different places, while Nidal and Palestine TV reporter Anal Al-Jada, Palestine TV cameraman Mohammad Inaya, and cameraman Jaafar Ishtayyah remained in the same location, but when they saw the soldiers approaching a few meters, they retreated (the Journalists) to the back, and in those moments Nidal was injured by two metal bullets, one in the right flank and the other in the right armpit. His colleagues rushed to help him move away to a safe place, knowing that he and his colleagues were wearing protective vests.

 

(25th Sep.) The journalists Adel Abu Nema and Nasser Ishtayya, as a result of direct targeting by soldiers during their coverage of a tree-planting event in an area, threatened with confiscation in Asira Al-Qibliya, south of Nablus.

According to MADA researcher, Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission and the National Forces called everyone to go on Friday 25th Sep. 2020 to one of the citizen’s lands in Asira Al-Qibliya threatened with confiscation and settlement, to plough the land and plant tree, which attracted many journalists to cover this peaceful event. As the people gathered on their lands, an Israeli army force stormed the gathering and began firing a barrage of tear gas and sound bombs to disperse them and drive them away from their lands. Meanwhile, journalist Adel Ibrahim Mustafa Abu Nema (52 years old), who works as a cameraman for Reuters TV, accompanied by a number of his colleagues, was far from the gathering and was wearing the press uniform and a gas mask. The soldiers fired tear gas bombs heavily towards the journalists' gathering. Abu Nema tried to move away from the bombs, but he was very close to the extent the gas leaked into his mask, causing him suffocation that he had to take it off. One of his colleagues (Fadi Al-Jayousi, Palestine TV cameraman), laid him down on the floor and tried to give him the aid he needed, including CPR, especially the firing of gas bombs continued targeting them that he had to move him away. After Abu Nema regained consciousness, he left and returned to his home. When the 48-year-old journalist Nasser Sulaiman Ishtayya, a cameraman with the Israeli Agency Flash and Associated Press, saw what happened with his colleague Abu Nema, and the soldiers’ deliberate targeting of journalists, colleague Shtayyeh withdrew, moved a few meters away from the demonstrators, he retreated and stood next to a wooden electric pole in an attempt to shelter from any targeting. At about 11:30AM, one of the soldiers fired a gas bomb (the type of a missile - which is a cylindrical tube) at him, injuring him directly in the upper back, even though he was about 300 meters away from the soldiers' gathering. An ambulance took him after he received the field aid, and after about an hour he left to return to his home.

 

(29th Sep.) The occupation forces have seized a vehicle of Palestine TV in Yarza Village, Tubas, while the TV staff was covering a demolition of one of the houses by the Israeli Occupation.

According to MADA researcher, Palestine TV staff, including the reporter Ameer Shaheen, the cameraman Loay Samhan, and the driver Sulaiman Hajjah, have arrived at around 10:00AM, on 29th Sep. 2020. To Yarza village, where a force of the occupation army was deployed not to mention the military bulldozer that started demolishing the houses of citizens in the Village. When the staff arrived and stopped at 100 meters away from the military force, the soldiers approached them and one of the officers asked who were they and whether they were from the Palestinian Authority. Journalist Ameer Shaheen stated that they are Palestine TV staff and they were there only to cover the event. The officer asked them to leave claiming that “it is a closed military zone” due to the demolishes. The staff tried to tell them that they will only film the event and leave, but the officer seized their IDs and job cards, and detained them for half an hour, and prevented them from filming. After that, an official of the so-called Israeli "civil administration" (his name is Avi) came and asked them about their work, and told them that the vehicle (TV vehicle) belonged to the Palestinian Authority, and ordered them to empty the vehicle of their personal belongings, cameras, and equipment, and told them that the vehicle is seized for entering a closed military zone. Then he gave the vehicle’s driver (Sulaiman Ghassan Hajja) the decision of the confiscation order, and it said (violation ... a government vehicle entered a closed military zone). It should be noted that Palestine TV vehicle is still seized until this day (1st Oct. 2020).