Israeli Army, Predator of Press Freedom

INTRODUCTION The Palestinian Territories make up one of the most difficult places in the world to practise journalism. Freedom of information there is under constant threat. In the West Bank and Gaza, when news media are not hit by Israeli arrests, detention and live fire, they are targeted by the supposedly friendly Palestinian Authorities and Hamas, in the form of arrests, threats and attacks. News coverage itself is subjected to political events. Politicized and partisan journalists and media organizations are caught in a political vice. How can they escape its grip? 3 Now that the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians is – once again – at a standstill, the Palestine Liberation Organization and Hamas signed a reconciliation agreement in Gaza on 23 April. In theory, this agreement would put an end to seven years of division. Members of the “national consensus” government were sworn in on 2 June, and Mahmoud Abbas announced that elections would take place later this year. As a result, Palestinians in the West Bank have been able to buy copies of Hamas newspapers since early May, such as Falestin, which had been gone from newsstands since 2007. Gaza residents are once again able to read Palestinian Authority dailies Al-Quds, and Al-Hayat Al-Jadida. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Does the return of these OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY Occupied Golan Heights Lebanon UNDOF ¥ alestinian civilians living in the occupied Palestinian DECEMBER 2011 Pterritory (oPt) continue to bear the brunt of ongoingonce-banned conflict and Israeli occupation. A lack newspapers of signal PALETINIAN REGISTERED REFUGEES* P (Syria) respect for international humanitarian and human Al Qunaytirah West Bank ~ 848,000 refugees rights law has resulted in a protection crisis with seriousa and realnegative humanitarian or consequences.a symbolic development Gaza ~ 1,167,000 refugees In the Gaza Strip, Israel continues to impose a land, Acre Lebanon ~ 455,000 refugees P Syria sea and air blockade that has significantly undermined T Syria ~ 496,000 refugees I L B livelihoods,for seriously freedom diminished the quality of,of and information A E K Jordan ~ 2 million refugees P Tiberias R access to, basic services, and which amounts to P E I Haifa A Source: UNRWA, January 2011 S collective punishment of the population of the Gaza Nazareth Strip. in Palestine? During a 10-day P In the West Bank, East Jerusalem is isolated from the rest of the West Bank. Communities in Area C face Irbid P mission to Palestine by Reporters Sheikh Hussein a range of pressures, including demolitions, settler Crossing violence, and movement and access restrictions, that Jenin P make Withoutmeeting basic needs increasingly Borders difficult and from 25 October a threaten Palestinian presence in the area. Bedouin e Ajloun and herder communities are particularly vulnerable. Tubas P S Tulkarm P P Unlawful Israeli settlement activity lies at the heart of R to 4 November, 2013, Palestinian n many of the humanitarian difficulties facing Palestinians Nablus E P a V in the West Bank. Qalqiliya I P R e N Overall, the lack of accountability for violations of n A D and foreign sources in Gaza, Salﬁt human rights and humanitarian law, along with a failure a Tel Aviv-Yaffo P R Balqa P P O r J to effectively enforce the rule of law when it comes r o West Bank to attacks on Palestinians and their property by Israeli e Amman Ramallah, Nablus, Bethlehem t military forces or Israeli settlers, has created a climate i Allenby Bridge RamallahP of impunity that contributes to further violence. d Jericho Crossing P e andKey Facts Jerusalem on the oPt had only one word Ashdod P M PJerusalem Madaba P Safe Passage P (Non-functional) Bethlehem a to describe the situation: Inqissam e S d a Hebron e P D Palestinians Gaza City 4.2 (division).million Nearly Journalists, 44% human rights P live in the oPt, with 2.5 of the oPt population million in the West Bank are refugees and nearly Gaza and advocates,1.6 million in the 50% is below NGO the age staff members, Khan Yunis Strip Gaza Strip. of 18.* P Jordan Be'er Sheva P Rafah diplomats and political figures Crossing Karak P 38%all of the populationshared 33% of thethe population view that without of the Gaza Strip and of the oPt is food insecure. Israel 18.3% of the West Bankreal live in poverty. and lasting peace between Palestinian factions, the quality unemployment rate 73 litres/capita/day (l/c/d) is 28%of informationthe average water consumption – and freedom in the Gaza Strip and in the West Bank and 20% in the West Bank 80-90 l/c/d in the Gaza Strip, of informationbelow the WHO standard of – cannot improve. 100 l/c/d. Egypt 5.8 persons 500,000 Israeli International boundary is the average Palestinian live in 150 household size in the oPt. settlers Boundary of former Palestine Mandate settlements and 100 1949 Armistice (Green Line) outposts in the West Bank, in contravention of Area A and B international law. Area C The oPt population is only 38% of the global Palestinian Israeli Unilaterally declared Jerusalem Municipal Boundary population, projected at 11.2 million people, approximately Ceasefire line 1974 administered by 44% of which are refugees registered with the UN. UNDOF Outside the oPt, 1.4 million Palestinians live in Israel, 5 Airport million live in Arab countries and 640,000 in other parts Capital of the world. Eilat Main City P *Source: PCBS F DISCLAIMER: The designations employed and the presentation of material on this map do not imply the O expression of any opinion whatsoeverSource on the part of the: SecretariatOCHA of the United Nations“Occupied concerning the Palestinian territory : Overview Map | Dec 0 15 30 60 A Scan it! F B with QR reader App legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its L A Km U Q frontiers or boundaries. Reproduction and/or use of this material is only permitted with express reference G A to “United Nations OCHA oPt”2011,” as the source. Published January, 2012. 1 © AFP / ABBAS MOMANI following Al-Mahboubah wa Al-Salam in 1996. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the very first radio station was that of the Palestinian Authority – Sawt Falestin – launched on 2 July 1994, following Arafat’s return YOUNG, to Palestine after 27 years in exile. Radio Bethlehem 2000, launched in 1996, did not receive its authorization until 1999. The first Palestinian television channel, Gamma TV of Nablus, went on the air in 1994. After the Second Intifada and the division of the Palestinian territories, POLITICALLY COMMITTED with Israeli Army checkpoints scattered throughout, numerous media entrepreneurs opted to start radio stations or television networks rather than newspapers, which were difficult to distribute. The dismantling of numerous checkpoints in recent years has not changed this dynamic. 1 The Second Intifada has also had important economic effects on the Palestinian media market, forcing organizations to join their efforts JOURNALISM and form working networks. War of 1967, then annexed 1) NEWLY MintED MEdiA AL-QudS, A PALEStiniAN it in 19802 (an annexation not recognized by the United Except for Al-Quds, a newspaper founded in 1951 by the Abu Zalaf family, PAPER opERAtinG Nations3). Located in territory the Palestinian press emerged after the signing of the Oslo Accords that the State of Israel has placed in September 1993. The Palestinian Authority first had to establish a legal UNDER ISRAELI MILitARY under its effective control, structure for the press. A law on the written press was adopted in 19951. Al-Quds is subject to Israeli CENSORSHip military censorship. The first Palestinian broadcast media were not launched until Oslo II (the intermediate agreement on the West Bank and Gaza) was signed Created by the Abu Zalaf family Though some of the newspaper’s in September 1995. Article 36 of Annex III (Protocol on Civil Affairs) in 1951, Al-Quds is the oldest journalists say that censorship is designed to provide a framework for Palestinian telecommunications, Palestinian daily. Unlike Al-Ayam is more relaxed than in the past, especially terrestrial and satellite radio and television, by establishing and other newspapers, Al-Quds it has not disappeared. Some issues a Joint Technical Committee. Israel imposed strict limits on the creation is printed in Jerusalem, are off-limits: for example, of these media. as the paper’s name indicates, the death in detention more specifically in East Jerusalem. of a Palestinian prisoner, or any “The first Intifada was not covered by Palestinians because the Israeli Army The Israeli army conquered information deemed dangerous systematically arrested Palestinian journalists,” a local cameraman says. this part of the city in the Six-Day to Israeli security. “This is why we felt the need to have our own images, our own media.” A television executive in the West Bank adds: “There were plenty of programs in Arabic in the Israeli media, but almost always during the day. In the evening, they broadcast nothing but movies in Hebrew. The Jordanian media were fairly boring, with lots of news about the army, the king... There was only a program for children that was actually focused on Palestinians, nothing more. After Oslo, people wanted local news, and they still do. Therefore, television seemed to be the best response.” 1 Analysis by Article 19 and CMF Palestinian media organizations, in other words, are less than 20 years old. 2 Jerusalem Law of 30 July 1980 Tarik Al-Mahabeh, a Nablus radio station, for instance, opened in 1997.

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