A report released by The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) concludes that Israel has violated press and media freedom 33 times during the month of April.
According to a PNN report, April of 2017 witnessed a slight decrease in the total number of violations against media freedoms in Palestine compared to a staggering number of violations recorded in March, which came in at 51 violations. Still, violations in the month of April were above the general average.
The decrease came as a result of a lower number of Palestinian violations, whereas Israeli violations remained at the same high rate reached during March.
The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms “MADA” monitored a total of 41 violations in April that included 33 committed by Israeli forces and 8 by Palestinian parties, both in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Israeli forces committed a total of 33 attacks against media freedom (more than 80% of all violations recorded this month).
The most prominent of these violations was the closure of four libraries in Hebron and Nablus, following the raid and confiscation of some of their contents, under the pretext of “incitement”.
Palestine TV reporter Anaal Bassem al Jadaa was injured with a gas canister, fired by an Israeli soldier, while covering a demonstration against settlement in Kafr-Qaddum village.
Palestine TV cameraman Bashar Mahmud Nazzal was shot in the leg, with a rubber-coated metal bullet, while covering the same demonstration.
An attack on WAFA News Agency photographer Mashhour Hasan, in Hebron, and the destruction of his camera while covering events in the city, was yet another incident.
Additionally, April saw the renewal of the administrative detention of journalist Mohammed al-Qeeq, only 10 days before his date of release. Israeli occupation forces brutally attacked around 14 journalists, in Jerusalem, while they were covering a peaceful demonstration in the city.
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