Palestinian Center for Development & Media Freedoms “MADA” Completed under the supervision of Mousa Rimawi Prepared and edited by Ghazi Bani Odeh Coordination: Shireen Al-Khatib The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms “MADA” thanks the Open Society Foundations for their support in publishing the report 1 Preamble: The first half of 2019 has witnessed a rise in the number of violations against media freedoms in Palestine compared with the same period last year. This is attributed to the significant increase in the number of Palestinian violations monitored in Gaza Strip, even though this was in parallel with a noticeable decrease in the number of Palestinian violations registered in the West Bank, while the number of Israeli violations remained at its high levels despite its relative decline, especially given the fact that Facebook closed dozens of pages and accounts of Palestinian journalists as a direct result of the understandings concluded by Israel with Facebook. The total number of Palestinian and Israeli violations and those committed by Facebook monitored by MADA during the first half of 2019 totaled to 300 attacks compared to a total of 277 attacks monitored during the same period of 2018, that is an increase of 53 violations, representing 19% than had previously been the case. (Total of Violations against media freedoms during the first half of 2019 and the years before) 1st half of 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2019 Total 112 108 112 186 224 198 228 277 330 number of (includi violations ng 65 violation s by Faceboo k) In addition to the increase which is noticeably evident when comparing between 2018 and 2019, it is noted that the attacks against media freedoms are taking an escalating path that has not stopped increasing since 2011. The table and figure below show the total number of violations monitored during the first half of the recent nine years. 2 The Total Number of Violatons during the 1st half of 2019 and the equivalent periods in the previous years 350 330 300 277 250 224 228 198 200 186 150 112 108 112 100 50 0 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Different Palestinian authorities from the West Bank and Gaza Strip have committed a total of 115 violations, while the Israeli occupation has committed 150 attacks against media freedoms in the West Bank and Gaza Strip including the occupied city of Jerusalem as the Facebook was 3 responsible for a total of 65 violations, represented in closing pages for female/male journalists under what is called “Fighting incitement to violence and terrorism”1. THE VIOLATIONS COMMITTED DURING THE FIRST HALF OF 2019 ACCORDING TO THE PARTY THAT HAS COMMITTED THE VIOLATION FACEBOOK PALESTINIAN AUTHORITIES 20% 35% ISRAELI OCCUPATION 45% 2 Most of the attacks monitored during the first half of 2019 amounted to 330, a total of 264 persons1F , including 247 male journalist and 17 female journalists. The main reason why most of these attacks are mainly targeting the (male) journalists compared to their female colleagues refers to two matters, the first is associated in general with the total number of female journalists compared to male journalists (who represent around 30%), while the 1 For more details on this regard, refer to the special report issued by MADA on violations against media freedoms posted on the social media. 2 Some of these victims were subject to more than one attack during the period covered in this report, not to mention that another part of the attacks have targeted media institutions and not persons directly. 4 second matter is associated with the limited number of female journalists working in the field and in filming. Most of the female journalists working in “office posts” are relatively far from being subjected to direct attacks compared to those working in the field. (The Israeli and Palestine Violations during the first half of 2019 according to the type of violation) Type of Attack Israel Palestinian Facebook Authorities Physical attack-injury-beating 88 12 0 Arrest/detention- 6 37 0 administrative transfer Detention (mostly including 10 1 0 questioning) Summoning/summoning and 3 21 0 questioning Seizure/detention/damage of 3 8 0 equipment Destruction of 3 1 0 institution/house Prevent coverage 18 3 0 Deletion of materials 1 3 0 Closure/destruction of 2 0 65 institutions 5 Human shields 12 0 0 Torture/abuse 0 16 0 Threatening 0 6 0 Travel ban 1 0 0 Other Attacks 3 7 0 Total 150 115 65 Israeli Violations The Israeli violations monitored during the first half of 2019 have witnessed a relative decline compared to those committed in the same period last year 2018. The number of violations decreased from 208 attacks registered during the first half of 2018 to 150 attacks registered during the first half of 2019. (Violations of the Israeli Occupation during the first half of 2019 and the preceding years) First half of 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 year Number of 44 67 78 132 114 133 127 208 150 Violations The main reason for this difference is the huge jump in the number of Israeli attacks witnessed in April and May of 2018, following the start of the return marches in Gaza Strip. These two months 6 last year alone have witnessed a total of 99 Israeli attacks against media freedoms, compared to a total of 29 attacks monitored during these two months in 2019. Despite the decline in the number of Israeli violations monitored during the first half of 2019, they still exceed the average number of Israeli attacks monitored in the previous eight years (from 2011 to 2018) totaling of 103 attacks in the year almost. That is, whatever Israeli attacks that have been monitored during the first half of 2019 exceed 46% of the average number of Israeli attacks monitored during the same periods in the last eight years. The Israeli Violations during the first half of 2019 and the preceding years 250 208 200 150 150 132 133 127 114 100 78 67 50 44 0 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 7 The Israeli attacks fall under 12 types all related to the exclusion of media agencies, as well as female/male journalists from the field for the purpose of covering the practices of the occupation whether by preventing the media coverage or deleting the filmed materials or detaining female/male journalists while working in the field or through repression which forces the female/male journalists and the media agencies alike, to quit working for this sector, by targeting journalists physically or arresting them or destroying the media agencies. This is in addition to other practices which make journalists work under constant threats and attacks making job opportunities narrower and more dangerous, forcing them to refrain from engaging in or leaving work in the Media. Physical Attacks The Israeli attacks totaling to 150, committed by the occupation army and authorities during the first half of 2019, are divided to 59 attacks in Gaza Strip compared to 91 attacks in the West Bank, including the occupied city of Jerusalem. Almost all of the Israeli attacks registered in Gaza Strip are part of the most serious attacks, 55 of which were physical injuries by live bullets and direct gas bombs, as well as the destruction of two headquarters of institutions in Gaza Strip. The total number of physical attacks committed by the occupation army against male/female journalists in the West Bank and Gaza Strip during the first half of 2019 amounted to 88 attacks, a rate of 59% of the total number of Israeli attacks. It should be noted that the physical attacks during the first half of 2018 constituted 57% of the total Israeli attacks. Most of the Israeli attacks fall under the extremely serious attacks threatening the lives of female/male journalists and media freedoms in Palestine, namely the physical attacks, arrests, destruction of headquarters of institutions, and using journalists as human shields, as the total number of these four types of attacks amounted to 108, representing 72% of the total Israeli attacks monitored and documented during the first half of 2019 by MADA. It should be noted that the extremely serious Israeli violations monitored during the first half of 2018 have constituted a rate of 67% which exposes the techniques and methods by which the 8 Israeli occupation army and authorities treat female/male journalists and media freedoms in Palestine. These techniques and methods are mostly confined to the most violent methods of repression, and silencing of journalists and the exclusion of media from the field, and even the exclusion of journalists completely from completing their work in this area through causing them serious injuries by targeting them and destroying some of the headquarters of institutions. (The Israeli Occupation Violations during the first half of 2019 according to the type) No. Type of Violation Number 1 Physical attack-injury-beating 88 2 Arrest/detention-administrative transfer 6 3 Detention/mostly involving questioning 10 4 Summoning-questioning 3 5 Damage of equipment 3 6 Destruction of institutions-houses 3 7 Closure-destruction of institutions 2 8 Prevent media coverage 18 9 Deletion of materials 1 10 Human shields 12 11 Travel ban 1 12 Other attacks 3 Total 150 9 Destruction of Headquarters: On May 4, 2019, the Israeli occupation army destroyed two media agencies in Gaza Strip by rocket shelling: Abdullah Al-Hourani Center for Studies and Documentation. Al-Hourani Center is composed of two floors, where 15 employees work. It includes a hall for activities where 10-15 activities are monthly organized, in addition to a huge library that contains ten thousands books collected over 22 years (ever since the center was established in 1997) on the history and heritage of the Palestinian people, in addition to rare books and documents, as well as the Center publications amounted to 60.