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Country Summary
Despite the fact that “autonomy” is the regional catchword since Israel relinquished control of parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip to the Palestinian National Authority in 1994, Israel continues to impose restrictions upon the Palestinian media. The May election of Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister has had little effect on these conditions. Palestinian journalists chafe under severe limitations on their freedom of movement. In the aftermath of a series of suicide bombings in Israel, the Israeli government closed access to Israel from the West Bank and Gaza and in the process, even prevented accredited Palestinian journalists from both the local and foreign press from entering the country. During that period, Israeli authorities also denied Palestinian journalists access to East Jerusalem, where many press offices are located.
Even when the Israelis partially lifted the closure, Palestinian journalists faced obstacles in gaining entrance into Israel. In May, members of the Association of Palestinian Broadcasting Journalists were denied permits to travel to Israel to report on the Israeli elections. Other Palestinian journalists, meanwhile, complain about the daily impediments they face entering and exiting Jerusalem. Those traveling by car must stop for routine security checks at checkpoints where vehicles are prohibited from crossing. As a result, journalistsespecially camera crewsare burdened by having to carry their equipment to the other side.
In September, 13 journalists were severely wounded during armed clashes that erupted between Israeli and Palestinian forces following the Israeli government’s decision to open a controversial archaeological tunnel in Jerusalem near the Temple Mount and the al-Aqsa Mosque. Among the victims were 10 Palestinian journalists who were wounded by Israeli gunfire in what observers described as inadvertent crossfire. Some of the wounded, however, accused Israeli forces of negligence for failing to notice the journalists who were conspicuously carrying camera equipment and were physically far removed from both sides of the conflict. Two Israeli journalists were also wounded during the conflict, shot by Palestinian police as they viewed the fighting from atop a tower in Gaza. It was unclear whether or not the police were aware that both men were journalists.
One of the Israeli government’s most disturbing abridgments of press freedom took place in Lebanon, where on June 13, the army abducted the Lebanese journalist Ali Diya from its nine-mile occupation zone in south Lebanon. Diya, a stringer for Agence France-Presse and the Lebanese daily newspaper Al-Safir, was detained in Israel for over a month on suspicion of “aiding the Shi’ite militia Hezbollah (Party of God).” CPJ issued a letter of protest to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on June 19, calling for Diya’s release. He was released on July 18.
For more information contact mideastweb@cpj.org