During the monthly report on the state of press freedoms in the Palestinian territories in January 2021, the Journalists Support Committee reviewed about (58) violations against media freedoms and journalists, including (44) Israeli violations, and (4) violations. By internal Palestinian parties, in addition to the registration of more than (10) cases of violations by social media companies, in the context of fighting Palestinian content.
The coordinator of the committee in the Palestinian territories, journalist Saleh Al-Masry, said that the Israeli attacks on press crews, during January 2021, were the injury and assault of the occupation forces against 12 cases of journalists.
As for the arrests, Al-Masri said that the Israeli occupation forces arrested (1) journalists, who is Muhammad Sharaka, while the occupation forces detained (6) journalists, namely Omar Abu Awad, Samer Abu Salman, Suleiman Abu Sorour, Adel Abu Nimah, Tamer Maqada. And the journalist Raeda Saeed, who was issued by the occupation authorities against her, a decision to expel Al-Aqsa Mosque for a period of six months, in order to register a case of (1) deportation.
The ruling was confirmed, postponed, and the Israeli military courts renewed the arrest of (6) journalists.
The report recorded (11) cases of preventing journalists from covering the occupation´s violations of the right of citizens in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, during which the ban included beating, kicking, throwing stones, firing bullets and attacking the occupation and its journalists´ settlers with fierce dogs.
The report also recorded (3) cases of raiding, breaking into, tampering, searching and destroying the home of the journalist Muammar Orabi, the journalist Muhammad Sharaka, and the typist Amer Abu al-Rish.
The monthly report of the Committee to Support Journalists documented (2) a case of confiscation, namely the confiscation of the contents of a printing press, the confiscation of copies of the movie "Jenin Jenin", inside the occupied interior, and the obligation of its director, Muhammad Bakri, to pay compensation of 175 thousand shekels, in addition to the legal case expenses of 50 thousand shekels, to be recorded (1) The case of paying a fine.
As for the harassment that the occupation is pursuing against the imprisoned journalists in the prisons of the occupation, Al-Masry confirmed that the report recorded (1) a case of violation of the right of journalist Ahmed Abu Sobeih, who was transferred from Ramla prison to Raymond Sahrawi.
Al-Masry said that social media sites and platforms impose unfair restrictions on Palestinian content, under clear pressure from the Israeli occupation, which is using it as a tool to combat the Palestinian narrative.
He pointed out that the report recorded more than (10) cases of bans, closures, deletions and deletions of publications by journalists and media professionals under the pretext of not adhering to the standards of publishing on social media.
