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Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms

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Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms Violations of Media Freedoms in Palestine Semi - Annual Report 2021 Supervision: Mousa Al-Rimawi Prepared by: Ghazi Ahmad Bani Odeh Preparation assistant: Shireen Al-Khateeb Translation: Sharif Haj Ali Dissemination: Rasha Sarhan Palestine - 2021 The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms "MADA", monitored and documented significant increase in the number of violations against media freedoms in Palestine during the first half of 2021, compared the number of violations in the first half of the past year 2020. The number of violations committed by the Israeli occupation authorities/ forces, various Palestinian parties and social media companies against media freedoms in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, including the occupied city of Jerusalem, during the first half of 2021 reached a total of 384 violations, compared to a total of 237 violations documented during the first half of 2020. That is, an increase of 147 violations or 62% over the last year 2020. This increase came as a result of four major events, in which large-scale field confrontations took place in most parts of Palestine, which was accompanied by widespread and violent repression of the media outlets, male and female journalists, in order to obscure the crimes and practices that are taking place on the ground. Social Media Networks… Palestinian Parties… Israeli Occupation 66% VIOLATIONS DURING THE FIRST HALF OF 2021 These events were as follows: First: The Israeli occupation authorities/ forces escalated their attacks in the occupied city of Jerusalem through the displacement decisions that targeted and are still targeting the residents of Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan neighborhoods, and the accompanying provocative incursions into Al- Aqsa Mosque during the blessed month of Ramadan. Second: The extension of the Israeli attacks and escalation in Jerusalem to the Gaza Strip, through a military aggression that lasted 11 days, during which the occupation forces carried out extensive and deliberate destruction of media and journalists offices. As a result, three of the Journalists were martyred. Total violations during the first half of 2021 compared to previous years 384 400 330 350 300 277 224 228 237 250 186 198 200 150 108 112 100 50 0 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Third: The escalation of the Israeli occupation and settlers attacks throughout the West Bank, led to widespread and extended Palestinian protest demonstrations in addition to what is happening in the towns of Beita, Beit Dajan, Kofr Qaddoum, Masafer Yatta and others, which attracted wide field media coverage. The occupation forces have suppressed journalists as part of their efforts to obscure the policies and attacks carried out on the ground. Fourth: On the internal Palestinian level, the killing of the human rights and political activist Nizar Banat while he was being arrested by the Palestinian security services on June 24, 2021 led to a wide wave of popular protest, which was violently suppressed by the Palestinian security services, as It was accompanied by clear and broad targeting of journalists and media outlets, attacks and repression to prevent journalists from documenting the events. The Israeli occupation forces/ authorities committed the largest part of the total of the violations documented during the first half of 2021. As 253 attacks (about 66%) of the total of violations committed by Israeli occupation, while various Palestinian parties committed a total of 87 violations (about 23%), and social media networks committed A total of 43 violations (about 11%), in addition to one violation committed by the US authorities represented in blocking the website of Palestine Today Channel. Compared with the violations recorded during the first half of 2020, most of the increase in the number of violations recorded in the first half of 2021 (131 violations), came as a result of a sharp increase in the number of Israeli violations in the first place, in addition to an increase in the number of violations that was commuted by the Palestinian Authority, while a relative decrease in the number of violations committed by social media companies was recorded. Total violations during the first half of the last 10 years 1st half of 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Total 108 112 186 224 198 228 200 330 237 384 number of violations (65 (64 (43 committed committed committed by by by social Facebook) Facebook) media networks) The Israeli and Palestinian attacks, which totaled 340 violations1, directly affected 224 people2 (as individuals), including 173 male and 51 female journalists. This is in addition to dozens of other attacks that targeted media crews, often including male and female journalists, as well as the attacks that targeted media institutions that employ dozens of male and female journalists.3 (The Israeli and Palestine Violations during the first half of 2021 according to by type of violation) # Type of Attack Israel Palestinian Parties 1. Killing 3 0 2. Physical attack-injury-beating 108 21 3. Arrest/detention-administrative 14 4 detention 1 Most of it are Israeli violations (253) compared to 87 Palestinian violations. 2 Some of the journalists were attacked more than once during the period covered by this report. 3 For example, the Israeli occupation forces bombed and destroyed during their aggression on Gaza the headquarters of 30 media institutions in which hundreds of males and females work. 4. Detention (mostly including 8 0 questioning) 5. Summoning/summoning and 3 4 questioning 6. Seizure/detention/damage of 14 12 equipment 7. Breaking into an institution / home 1 1 8. Prevent coverage 38 24 9. Targeting to prevent coverage 13 0 10. Fines 2 0 11. Destruction/ closure of 30 0 institution/house 12. Deportation from Jerusalem 1 0 13. Threats 1 12 14. Incitement 0 7 15. Other Attacks 17 2 Total 253 87 Israeli violations The number of Israeli attacks against media freedoms in the West Bank and Gaza Strip doubled during the first half of 2021, compared to what it was in the first half of 2020. Israeli attacks increased from 125 violations recorded during the first half of 2020 to 253 attacks during the first half of 2021, an increase of more than 102%. Compared to what MADA Center has documented over the past years (during the same periods), this number of Israeli attacks recorded during the first six months of 2021 is the highest recorded in 10 years. (Violations of the Israeli Occupation during the first half of 2021 and the preceding years) 1st half of the 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 year Number of 67 78 132 114 133 127 208 150 125 253 Violations The average number of attacks committed by the Israeli occupation forces and authorities against media freedoms during the first half of the years 2012 to 2020, amounted to 118 violations. This number rose in the first half of 2021 by more than 114%, which is more than double the rate recorded during the previous 9 years. These attacks intensified during the months of May and June, which witnessed a widespread escalation in the Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, which was accompanied by repression and similar attacks targeting the media and journalists, as part of a well-known policy followed by the occupation authorities and forces to obscure the attacks they carry out in Palestine. Violations of the Israeli Occupation during the first half of 2021 and the preceding years 300 253 250 208 200 150 132 133 127 125 150 114 78 100 67 50 0 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Although most of these Israeli attacks took place in the West Bank (205 of violations), or about 81%, compared to 48 attacks that took place in the Gaza Strip (about 19%), but the crimes and attacks committed by the occupation in the Gaza Strip is considered the most serious and dangerous, especially since three journalists lost their lives and dozens of media institutions were targeted and destroyed during the 11-day Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip. (Israeli violations during the first half of 2021 by month) Month January February March April May June Number of 32 19 15 13 122 52 Violations The Israeli attacks came within more than 14 types, the most serious and dangerous of which were killings, bodily injuries, targeting and destroying media institutions. Killing of Journalists' A journalist and two media graduates were martyred in the Gaza Strip within one week, as a result of the massive and violent shelling carried out by the occupation army and its warplanes, targeting the homes of citizens in Gaza during its aggression. Youssef Muhammad Abu Hussein, a journalist in the "Sawt Al-Aqsa" radio, was martyred after the Israeli occupation army targeted his house in Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza on Wednesday 19/5/2021, which was preceded by the martyrdom of Abd al-Hamid Kolk and Muhammad Shaheen, two media graduates (who do not work). Note that Abdel Hamid worked for a year as a trained journalist for the Donia Al-Watan agency, and they were also martyred as a result of the Israeli bombing of their homes. Thus, the number of journalists killed by the occupation forces in the West Bank and Gaza Strip from the beginning of the year 2000 until the middle of 2021 rises to 46 journalist4. Physical assaults Over the years, physical attacks and direct targeting of journalists remained the most numerous of the various types of violations in terms of numbers, as well as in terms of the danger they pose to journalists' lives and media freedoms. In addition to the aforementioned three killings, during the first half of 2021, a total of 108 physical attacks committed by the occupation against journalists during their work were recorded.
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