Violations against journalists continued in May, with the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) monitoring 12 violations last month. The most serious of the reported incidences was the near fatal shooting of Mohamed Othman in Gaza, who was hit with live rounds fired by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) in his chest and right hand. In another disturbing incident, journalist Walid Khalid was sentenced to 6 months incarceration by an Israeli military judge under the auspices of administrative detention, whereby detainees are denied access to the charges or evidence laid against them by Israeli military prosecutors. This denial of the right to a fair trial under civilian and freedom of expression laws are in direct contravention to the standards of international human rights law and conventions.
The Palestinian security services of the West Bank and Gaza also continued their abuses against journalists in May, standing in clear violation of Article 19 of the Palestinian Basic Law. Despite however the continued acts of abuse against journalists by Palestinian security services, a marked decrease can be seen in their numbers - compared with data from the first 4 months of 2011 - in the wake of the recent Fatah-Hamas reconciliation, which although in its infancy has already had a positive impact on journalists safety.
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Violations:
During May, the IOF continued to commit serious violations against Palestinian journalists. On 15 May 2011, the 63rd anniversary of al-Nakba, freelance photographer Mohamed Othman went to the Beit Hanoun crossing in northern Gaza Strip to cover the March of Return. While covering events, Israeli Occupation Forces opened indiscriminate fire at demonstrators and Othman was hit with live rounds to his chest and right hand.
At the same demonstration in Beit Hanoun on 15 May 2011, Sawt al- Watan radio correspondent Mohammed Bakr Allouh suffered severe effects from excessive tear gas inhalation and was evacuated for treatment at Kamal Adwan hospital.
In Hebron, APA Agency photographer Najeh Al-Hashlamoun suffered leg injuries while covering Nakba day clashes between Israeli occupation forces and Palestinian from Shalalah area, after being shot by IOF personnel with rubber-coated steel bullets.
Israeli Occupation Forces also arrested journalist Waleed Khaled at his home in the area of Salfit in the West Bank on 8 May 2011. The week following his arrest, Khaled was sentenced to 6 months administrative detention without charge or trial.
Photographer Mahfouz Abu Turk was attacked in the city of Jerusalem by "Musta'rbeen" (an Israeli security forces unit usually dressed like Arabs),while covering the arrest of a Palestinian youth in Al-Esawiyah; the attack left him with injuries to his left hand.
Israeli settlers and members of the Israeli Border Guards attacked Quds Net correspondent Diala Jwehan on Friday 27 May 2011, while she was covering a peaceful march against the opening of a new settlement in the Ras al-Amud area near Silwan, Jerusalem. Jwehan’s colleagues Atta Awesat and Suleiman Khader were pushed several times by border guards in an attempt to prevent them from covering events.
West Bank and Gaza Palestinian security services Violations:
Journalists were subjected to various violations by Palestinian security services in the West Bank and Gaza Strip during May 2011. Internal security personnel of the Hamas government in Gaza attacked journalist and television producer Zakaria Tilmes on Tuesday 3 May 2011. Tilmes reports that the attackers beat him and tore his clothes.
Members of the Palestinian police force also attacked freelance journalist Hisham Sharabati and confiscated his camera while covering Nakba events in the old city of Hebron on Friday 13 May 2011.
On Tuesday 3 May 2011 the Bethlehem Criminal Court postponed proceedings in the case of Quds TV correspondent Mamdouh Hamamrah, to give prosecutors more time to determine its position after their witness testified in favour of Hamamrah.
The Hamas internal security service of the Gaza Strip summoned Sawt Falastin radio correspondent Muammar Tamim for investigation at the Abu Khadra governmental compound in Gaza City. Tamim has been previously summoned for investigation at the headquarters, following accusations of sending reports of corruption in Gaza’s Ministry of Health to daily newspaper Alhayat Aljadedah.
Conclusion and Recommendations:
The Palestinian Centre for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) strongly condemns all violations against media freedoms in the occupied Palestinian territories, in particular the targeting of journalists with live bullets, rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas.
MADA wishes to highlight that continued impunity only serves to perpetuate the frequency and severity of Israeli occupation forces attacks, and as such, demands that all persons involved in perpetrating acts of violence against journalists be held accountable, as sanctioned under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Palestinian Basic Law protecting freedom of expression. MADA additionally demands that the international community and international human rights institutions take serious and effective steps in ending the suffering of journalists by applying pressure on the Israeli Occupation Forces.
MADA also demands that the Palestinian security services of the West Bank and Gaza Strip end their harassment of journalists and allow them, and all media outlets, to work freely and without restrictions. MADA calls upon the Palestinian authorities to follow up on all accusations of security service perpetrated violations against journalists and hold responsible parties accountable.
Violation Details:
3 May - Members of the internal security services of the Hamas government in Gaza attacked German ARD television reporter and television producer Zakaria Tilmes on Tuesday, 3 May 2011. Tilmes told MADA that he went to attend a concert in the museum restaurant north of Gaza City at the invitation of ONESCO, but upon arrival was denied entry by security personnel. Of the 60 journalists invited to the event, only 20 were allowed entry to the venue. Tilmes, along with his fellow journalists, sat at the entrance of the building in protest and "after 10 minutes the cars carrying the maestro and the band came, as they approached I threw myself in front of their cars in protest. The Internal Security officers beat me and tore my clothes, then I sat next to the security guard and I was banned from covering the event."
3 May - The Bethlehem Criminal Court postponed proceedings in the case of Quds TV correspondent Mamdouh Hamamrah, to give prosecutors more time to determine its position after their witness testified in favour of Hamamrah, until 26 June 2011. Hamamrah is charged with the libel and slander of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, according to Jordanian Penal Code No. 16 of 1960, which is applied in the West Bank. The charge is based on claims that he downloaded a picture depicting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas beside a photo of Maamoun Bek – a fictional traitor in the Syrian Ramadan TV serial ‘Bab el-Hara’ – on his Facebook account.
5 May - The Hamas internal security service of the Gaza Strip summoned Sawt Falastin radio correspondent Muammar Tamim for investigation at the Abu Khadra governmental compound in Gaza City. Tamim said that he went to the security headquarters at 1.30pm, he arrived late at the headquarters due to special circumstances. Tamim was left to wait at the headquarters for 2 hours before security personnel approached and told him to come back on 8 May 2011 at 9am. Tamim arrived at headquarters at nine as requested, where he was accused of sending a report on corruption within the Ministry of Health in Gaza to Al-Hayat Aljadedah newspaper. Tamim denied the charges, and after hours of interrogation and coercion was released and told to return again to their offices in two days with two personal pictures and his passport. Muammar added: "When I went there I waited about for an hour and a half and then they confiscated my passport and started to interrogate me; they told me that if I did not admit that I send the report, they would sue me. I remained adamant about my innocence and was released at approximately 5pm, but they refused to give me my passport. On 15 May 2011 I received a call from someone in Internal Security who told me to come and collect my passport, so I went there and took it.”
8 May – The IOF arrested journalist Waleed Khaled at his home in the area of Salfit in the West Bank. According to his father a large force of Israeli occupation soldiers came to the house at one o'clock in the morning, where they searched the house and arrested his son. The week following his arrest Khaled was transferred to a detention facility and sentenced to 6 months of incarceration under Israeli military laws of administrative detention. Khalid had previously been released on 25 January 2011 after 3 years and 8 months of imprisonment without charge or trial, as sanctioned under a previous Israeli military order of administrative detention.
13 May - Palestinian police personnel attacked freelance journalist and researcher Hisham Sharabati while covering lead-up events for the 63rd anniversary of al-Nakba in the old city of Hebron. According to Sharbati, a peaceful march was proceeding to the Shalalah neighbourhood of Hebron, where Palestinian police were stationed to prevent demonstrators from reaching the Israeli controlled zones. Sharabati said that while he was filming the march he was approached by a police officer and asked to hand over his camera, Sharabati refused and was taken by force to another officer who asked him who his was working for. The officer engaged Sharabati in a verbal argument before allowing him to leave: "Once I walked a few meters away, a number of policemen attacked me and took my camera by force, I tried to retrieve it, but one of them took the video tape before returning it to me, they then forbade me from continuing my report. I tried more than once to retrieve the tape, but they wouldn’t let me.”
15 May – Israeli Occupation Forces opened indiscriminate fire on the participants of a peaceful demonstration in commemoration of al-Nakba. Dozens of unarmed civilians suffered moderate to severe injuries, including freelance photographer Mohammad Othman (25 years). Othman was covering the March of Return, proceeding towards the Beit Hanoun crossing in northern Gaza Strip when Israeli Occupation Forces began firing live bullets at demonstrators. Osman was hit with live rounds to his chest and right hand and had to be evacuated to Kamal Adwan hospital for emergency treatment before being transferred to Shifa Hospital for surgery. Othman is currently suffering from paraplegia and is receiving physiotherapy in preparation for his transfer to a specialist medical center overseas. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has stated that the Palestinian National Authority will cover all the costs of his treatment.
15 May - Sawt al- Watan radio correspondent Mohammed Bakr Allouh suffered severe effects from excessive tear gas inhalation and was evacuated for treatment at Kamal Adwan hospital. Allouh’s breathing returned to normal after 30 minutes of treatment and he was discharged from the hospital.
15 May – Freelance Photographer Mahfouz Abu Turk was attacked in the city of Jerusalem by "Musta'rbeen" (an Israeli security forces unit usually dressed like Arabs) while covering the arrest of a Palestinian youth in Al-Esawiyah. In his statement to MADA Abu Turk said that one of the"Musta'rbeen” attacked him with a gun, causing contusions on his left hand that required hospital treatment.
15 May - Israeli Occupation Forces attacked Associated Press Agency photographer Najih Al-Hashlamoun while covering clashes between Israeli occupation forces and residents of the Shalalah neighbourhood in the city of Hebron. Al-Hashlamoun reported that he was filming Israeli soldiers firing tear gas at demonstrators from the gate of one of the houses, and was standing away from demonstrators when he was struck by a rubber-coated steel bullet, wounding his left foot. Al-Hashlamoun went to the Hebron public hospital, where staff found he was suffering from severe contusions and swelling.
27 May - Israeli settlers and members of the Israeli Border Guards attacked Quds Net correspondent Diala Jwehan while she was covering a peaceful march against the opening of a new settlement in the Ras al-Amud area near Silwan, Jerusalem. According to Jwehan she went with colleagues to cover the march, which included members from international solidarity movements, when she was attacked by Israeli Border Guards who prevented her from covering events, ordered her to leave the area and attempted to burn her hands with lit cigarettes. Jwehan added that settlers had opened water hoses on demonstrators and journalists and spat on her and her colleagues. Photographers Atta Ewisat and Suleiman Khader also reported being repeatedly pushed by the border guards in an attempt to stop their media coverage.
