The number of violations against media freedoms in Palestine witnessed a relative decrease during the month of August, reaching 31 attacks, compared to July, during which a total of 43 attacks were monitored and documented.
The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) said in a statement received by "Al-Quds.com" today, Sunday, that this decline came as a result of the decrease in the number of Palestinian violations to almost zero (a single Palestinian violation record), and the stability of the number of violations of social networks, which was offset by a doubling The number of Israeli attacks during August, compared to July.
During the month of August, the Israeli occupation committed 28 of the total violations that were recorded against media freedoms in the West Bank and Gaza Strip this month, which amounted to 31 violations.
Mada pointed out that most of the Israeli attacks that were recorded last month were among the very dangerous attacks on media freedoms and the lives and safety of journalists, foremost of which were the physical attacks that included 11 journalists, and the arrests and detentions, which amounted to 7 cases, in addition to the storming of the Palestinian company. For advertising in the city of Hebron, the confiscation of all equipment and devices from it (the company’s director, Imad Al-Thiba, estimated its value at about two million shekels), and the closure of the aforementioned company for six months, indicating (the center) that a total of 20 Israeli attacks out of the total of 28 Israeli attacks were among the attacks dangerous, or 71% of them.
Among the most prominent Israeli attacks, the photographer, Assem Shehadeh, was injured by shrapnel from a bullet in his mouth, which broke one of his teeth and injured him in the upper lip, and the journalist Nassim Maalla was wounded with a rubber bullet in the knee. Jaradat, Ihab Al-Alami and Khalil Dhoib, and their detention and beating of three of them during that, and summoned after they were released on the evening of their arrest, and the attack on the journalist Theeb Hourani, and the injury of five journalists from Gaza with severe suffocation, in addition to the closure of the Palestinian Advertising and Publicity Company after confiscation all of its equipment.
With regard to Palestinian violations, their number decreased from 23 violations recorded during the month of July, and was limited to a single violation during the month of August, represented by the arrest of journalist Alaa Issa al-Rabi by Palestinian intelligence in Dura after being summoned and interrogated in connection with what was published about the killing of the activist. Nizar Banat, and he was transferred to Jericho Prison, knowing that he was released that evening from Jericho Prison.
With regard to social networking sites, Facebook closed the page of journalist Naela Khalil for a month, due to complaints against what she publishes, as I learned, knowing that about 20,000 people follow her page.
Facebook also banned live broadcasting and advertising on journalist Awawda´s page for two months because the name of Hamas was mentioned in two of his news articles.
