17 june 2018
Under the proposed bill, photos like this would be illegal (Photo: B'Tselem)
Proposed legislation criminalizes taking photos or filming IDF soldiers on duty, setting the punishment at 5-10 years in prison; more moderate version also under consideration; deputy AG says bill won't pass legal scrutiny.
The Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved on Sunday a bill proposal seeking to bar the filming and photography of IDF soldiers, which could completely change the nature of military coverage.
Deputy Attorney General Raz Nizri said during the Ministerial Committee discussion that barring the filming and photography of IDF soldiers would not pass legal scrutiny.
"We could go for a more moderate proposal, while drawing the comparison to police officers, but the problem is that it would set a minimum for punishment," Nizri said. "This means there will be no choice but to have criminal record."
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, meanwhile, welcomed the advancement of the legislation, writing on Twitter, "IDF soldiers are under attack from within by Israel haters and terror supporters who seek to humiliate, disgrace and harm them. We'll put an end to that."
Meretz leader Tamar Zandberg slammed the decision, saying "If the government wants to take care of IDF soldiers so much, perhaps it should start by handling the settlers who dismantle military vehicles, wound police officers and throw stones at soldiers."
The legislation will be brought to the Knesset for a preliminary reading on Wednesday.
The bill, sponsored by Yisrael Beytenu MK Robert Ilatov and backed by Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, targets anyone who documents IDF soldiers on duty and distributes the materials.
Under the original version of the bill, offenders could face anywhere between five and ten years in prison if the documentation is found to be "undermining the spirit of IDF soldiers and Israeli citizens" or harming state security.
"This decision aims to cover up crimes committed by Israeli soldiers against our people, and to free their hands to commit more crimes," Deputy Palestinian Information Minister Fayez Abu Aitta said.
The phrasing of the bill stops short of a blanket ban, aiming instead at "anti-Israeli and pro-Palestinian organizations" which spend "entire days near Israeli soldiers waiting breathlessly for actions that can be documented in a slanted and one-sided way so that soldiers can be smeared".
Naming B'Tselem and several other left-wing groups, the bill says many of them are supported by organizations and governments with "a clear anti-Israel agenda" and that the videos are used to harm Israel and national security.
The ban would cover social networks as well as traditional media.
B'Tselem shrugged off the bill.
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit was able to soften the legislation, setting the punishment from anywhere between two weeks and three years.
But even if a more moderate version of the bill is eventually passed into law, it would still limit media coverage in the West Bank and on Israel's borders, as the Israeli media gets photos and videos of many incidents from the Palestinians or from left-wing organizations.
Diplomatic officials expressed concern that the attempt to prevent the filming and photography of soldiers in the public sphere in the West Bank could damage to Israel's image.
"We're fighting about Israel's image as a democratic country that acts with transparency, and the initiative to prevent documentation (of soldiers) could present us in the opposite light—as a country that has something to hide," one official said.
Despite Mandleblit’s softening of the punishment stipulated in the bill will be compared to a large extent to the prohibition against disturbing police officers while performing their duties, meaning that the decision to prohibit the use of cameras would be left to the discretion of the soldier, who would be authorized to limit photographers and to remove protesters causing disruptions.
The implementation of the bill would depend to large extent on instructions received by soldiers in the field.
The vague wording in the current bill will likely have to be brought before the High Court of Justice. However, the bill may not only be applicable to left-wing organizations, which for years have sought to capture violent incidents involving the IDF in the West Bank on camera and disseminated the recordings in a negative light, which supporters of the army say stains its image.
While the bill received Lieberman’s blessing, officials in the army have yet to state their position.
MK Ilatov’s office has not rejected the possibility of widening the bill to also include Israeli journalists who regularly cover what is taking place in the various sectors, and it has not yet been made clear whether it will apply to Area A, which is controlled by the Palestinian Authority.
At the same time, right-wing activists also often use their cameras to document violent skirmishes with Israeli security forces during court-ordered evacuations of illegal outposts. It remains unclear whether they, too, would be forbidden from using recording the incidents.
The majority of photographers at B’Tselem are Palestinian volunteers who permanently carry a camera. Violent outbreaks, pursuits against terrorists, raids in villages and other IDF operation on the Gaza or Lebanese border are almost invariably filmed live by the Palestinians and foreign photographers. The footage and photographs are then transferred to Arab and international television networks.
The videos are then distributed on Facebook and other social media outlets.
Proposed legislation criminalizes taking photos or filming IDF soldiers on duty, setting the punishment at 5-10 years in prison; more moderate version also under consideration; deputy AG says bill won't pass legal scrutiny.
The Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved on Sunday a bill proposal seeking to bar the filming and photography of IDF soldiers, which could completely change the nature of military coverage.
Deputy Attorney General Raz Nizri said during the Ministerial Committee discussion that barring the filming and photography of IDF soldiers would not pass legal scrutiny.
"We could go for a more moderate proposal, while drawing the comparison to police officers, but the problem is that it would set a minimum for punishment," Nizri said. "This means there will be no choice but to have criminal record."
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, meanwhile, welcomed the advancement of the legislation, writing on Twitter, "IDF soldiers are under attack from within by Israel haters and terror supporters who seek to humiliate, disgrace and harm them. We'll put an end to that."
Meretz leader Tamar Zandberg slammed the decision, saying "If the government wants to take care of IDF soldiers so much, perhaps it should start by handling the settlers who dismantle military vehicles, wound police officers and throw stones at soldiers."
The legislation will be brought to the Knesset for a preliminary reading on Wednesday.
The bill, sponsored by Yisrael Beytenu MK Robert Ilatov and backed by Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, targets anyone who documents IDF soldiers on duty and distributes the materials.
Under the original version of the bill, offenders could face anywhere between five and ten years in prison if the documentation is found to be "undermining the spirit of IDF soldiers and Israeli citizens" or harming state security.
"This decision aims to cover up crimes committed by Israeli soldiers against our people, and to free their hands to commit more crimes," Deputy Palestinian Information Minister Fayez Abu Aitta said.
The phrasing of the bill stops short of a blanket ban, aiming instead at "anti-Israeli and pro-Palestinian organizations" which spend "entire days near Israeli soldiers waiting breathlessly for actions that can be documented in a slanted and one-sided way so that soldiers can be smeared".
Naming B'Tselem and several other left-wing groups, the bill says many of them are supported by organizations and governments with "a clear anti-Israel agenda" and that the videos are used to harm Israel and national security.
The ban would cover social networks as well as traditional media.
B'Tselem shrugged off the bill.
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit was able to soften the legislation, setting the punishment from anywhere between two weeks and three years.
But even if a more moderate version of the bill is eventually passed into law, it would still limit media coverage in the West Bank and on Israel's borders, as the Israeli media gets photos and videos of many incidents from the Palestinians or from left-wing organizations.
Diplomatic officials expressed concern that the attempt to prevent the filming and photography of soldiers in the public sphere in the West Bank could damage to Israel's image.
"We're fighting about Israel's image as a democratic country that acts with transparency, and the initiative to prevent documentation (of soldiers) could present us in the opposite light—as a country that has something to hide," one official said.
Despite Mandleblit’s softening of the punishment stipulated in the bill will be compared to a large extent to the prohibition against disturbing police officers while performing their duties, meaning that the decision to prohibit the use of cameras would be left to the discretion of the soldier, who would be authorized to limit photographers and to remove protesters causing disruptions.
The implementation of the bill would depend to large extent on instructions received by soldiers in the field.
The vague wording in the current bill will likely have to be brought before the High Court of Justice. However, the bill may not only be applicable to left-wing organizations, which for years have sought to capture violent incidents involving the IDF in the West Bank on camera and disseminated the recordings in a negative light, which supporters of the army say stains its image.
While the bill received Lieberman’s blessing, officials in the army have yet to state their position.
MK Ilatov’s office has not rejected the possibility of widening the bill to also include Israeli journalists who regularly cover what is taking place in the various sectors, and it has not yet been made clear whether it will apply to Area A, which is controlled by the Palestinian Authority.
At the same time, right-wing activists also often use their cameras to document violent skirmishes with Israeli security forces during court-ordered evacuations of illegal outposts. It remains unclear whether they, too, would be forbidden from using recording the incidents.
The majority of photographers at B’Tselem are Palestinian volunteers who permanently carry a camera. Violent outbreaks, pursuits against terrorists, raids in villages and other IDF operation on the Gaza or Lebanese border are almost invariably filmed live by the Palestinians and foreign photographers. The footage and photographs are then transferred to Arab and international television networks.
The videos are then distributed on Facebook and other social media outlets.
11 june 2018
Israeli soldiers abducted, on Monday at dawn, eleven young Palestinian men, including a journalist, in the southern West Bank governorate of Hebron, and one in Jenin, in northern West Bank.
The Hebron office of the Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS) said the soldiers invaded many neighborhoods in the city, and Doura town, searched and ransacked several homes causing damage, and abducted Bashir Hafith Zahda, Khader Dandees, Amro Obeid, Bara’ Talahma, Tareq Ayman Ashour, and a photojournalist, identified as Bilal Tawil, 25.
Tawil is a freelance photojournalist who deals with various local and international media outlets. The soldiers also confiscated his computer, before moving him to an unknown destination.
He, along with Tawil, Zahda, Talahma and al-Hroub are members of a Palestinian folk troupe in Hebron.
The soldiers also invaded the ath-Thaher area and al-Hara at-Tihta neighborhood, in Beit Ummar town north of Hebron, searched homes and abducted Samar Samir Abu Mariya, 19, and Mo’tasem Jamal ‘Alqam.
It is worth mentioning that the soldiers caused excessive damage to the home of Abu Mariya, wile searching it using K9 units, and removed many of its tiles.
One Palestinian was injured by shrapnel after the soldiers fired live rounds at the main door of one of the invaded homes, before breaking into it. The wounded young man was moved to a medical center in Beit Ummar.
In related news, the soldiers invaded Arraba town, southwest of Jenin, searched homes and abducted a young man, identified as Bassel Sa’id Rahhal.
During the invasions, the soldiers fired many gas bombs and concussion grenades, at locals who protested the invasion.
The Hebron office of the Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS) said the soldiers invaded many neighborhoods in the city, and Doura town, searched and ransacked several homes causing damage, and abducted Bashir Hafith Zahda, Khader Dandees, Amro Obeid, Bara’ Talahma, Tareq Ayman Ashour, and a photojournalist, identified as Bilal Tawil, 25.
Tawil is a freelance photojournalist who deals with various local and international media outlets. The soldiers also confiscated his computer, before moving him to an unknown destination.
He, along with Tawil, Zahda, Talahma and al-Hroub are members of a Palestinian folk troupe in Hebron.
The soldiers also invaded the ath-Thaher area and al-Hara at-Tihta neighborhood, in Beit Ummar town north of Hebron, searched homes and abducted Samar Samir Abu Mariya, 19, and Mo’tasem Jamal ‘Alqam.
It is worth mentioning that the soldiers caused excessive damage to the home of Abu Mariya, wile searching it using K9 units, and removed many of its tiles.
One Palestinian was injured by shrapnel after the soldiers fired live rounds at the main door of one of the invaded homes, before breaking into it. The wounded young man was moved to a medical center in Beit Ummar.
In related news, the soldiers invaded Arraba town, southwest of Jenin, searched homes and abducted a young man, identified as Bassel Sa’id Rahhal.
During the invasions, the soldiers fired many gas bombs and concussion grenades, at locals who protested the invasion.
10 june 2018
The Israeli police on Saturday evening arrested the head of the chamber of commerce in Jerusalem Kamal Obeidat and his deputy Raed Sa'ada and took them for interrogation over their organization of an Iftar gathering for journalists.
The police, accompanied by intelligence officers, stormed Jerusalem Hotel, surrounded it, forced all people inside the hotel out, and distributed an order banning Ramadan Iftar gatherings in the place.
The Israeli authorities have been gradually trying to ban Palestinian events of any kind in Jerusalem encouraged by the US recognition of the holy city as Israel's capital.
In another context, the Israeli-controlled Jerusalem municipality on Sunday morning confiscated equipment belonging to Palestinian shops in the Old City of Jerusalem.
The municipality claimed that the owners of these shops had brought the confiscated equipment without obtaining a legal license.
The Ramadan season was always considered a chance by Jerusalem traders to revive the city's economy. However, Israel's tightened restrictions recently have created a state of stagnation among Jerusalem markets.
These measures include the municipality's daily targeting of Palestinian shops and stalls, especially in the Old City, and the ban imposed on Palestinian women coming from neighboring villages to sell their vegetables and handcrafts in Jerusalem.
The police, accompanied by intelligence officers, stormed Jerusalem Hotel, surrounded it, forced all people inside the hotel out, and distributed an order banning Ramadan Iftar gatherings in the place.
The Israeli authorities have been gradually trying to ban Palestinian events of any kind in Jerusalem encouraged by the US recognition of the holy city as Israel's capital.
In another context, the Israeli-controlled Jerusalem municipality on Sunday morning confiscated equipment belonging to Palestinian shops in the Old City of Jerusalem.
The municipality claimed that the owners of these shops had brought the confiscated equipment without obtaining a legal license.
The Ramadan season was always considered a chance by Jerusalem traders to revive the city's economy. However, Israel's tightened restrictions recently have created a state of stagnation among Jerusalem markets.
These measures include the municipality's daily targeting of Palestinian shops and stalls, especially in the Old City, and the ban imposed on Palestinian women coming from neighboring villages to sell their vegetables and handcrafts in Jerusalem.
9 june 2018
Sayyaf al-Asafra
Israeli soldiers abducted, on Saturday at dawn, a Palestinian man in Beit Kahil town, north of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, in addition to invading the home of Human Rights activist, cameraman Aref Jaber, in Hebron city, assaulted and injured him and his family, and threatened to kill him if he continues his activities, documenting violations carried out by both soldiers and illegal colonialist settlers.
Several army jeeps invaded Beit Kahil, before the soldiers stormed and ransacked many homes, and abducted at least one Palestinian.
The Palestinian, identified as Sayyaf al-Asafra, was cuffed and blindfolded, before the soldiers took him to a nearby military center.
Israeli soldiers abducted, on Saturday at dawn, a Palestinian man in Beit Kahil town, north of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, in addition to invading the home of Human Rights activist, cameraman Aref Jaber, in Hebron city, assaulted and injured him and his family, and threatened to kill him if he continues his activities, documenting violations carried out by both soldiers and illegal colonialist settlers.
Several army jeeps invaded Beit Kahil, before the soldiers stormed and ransacked many homes, and abducted at least one Palestinian.
The Palestinian, identified as Sayyaf al-Asafra, was cuffed and blindfolded, before the soldiers took him to a nearby military center.
Aref Jaber
The soldiers also invaded the home Aref Jaber, a cameraman and local nonviolent activist against the Annexation Wall and Colonies, before confiscating his mobile phone and his camera, in addition to erasing all videos and pictures he took of the army during previous invasions and violations.
During the invasion into his home, the soldiers assaulted him, his wife and children, and threatened to kill him if he continues to document their invasions, and violations committed by the army and illegal Israeli colonialist settlers.
Aref and his wounded wife and children, were rushed by Palestinian medics to Hebron governmental hospital, suffering cuts and bruises.
It is worth mentioning that Jaber documented countless violations carried out by both Israeli soldiers and colonialist settlers, especially in Jaber neighborhood, the adjacent Ibrahimi mosque and its surrounding areas.
He was one of the Palestinians who documented the killing of Rami Wahid Sabarna, 36, who was shot dead by the soldiers, while working in Jaber neighborhood, last week, on Saturday, June 2nd.
After the fatal shooting of Sabarna, who and other workers were conducting work for the Hebron City Council to rehabilitate and expand a road near the Ibrahimi Mosque, Jaber said slain Palestinian was driving a small and loud bulldozer, and added that the worker passed by some soldiers who then started shouting at him an ordering him to stop.
“He did not pose any threat to them, he passed by them and could not hear their shouts and orders,” Aref said, “Then, they just opened fire at him and his bulldozer, seriously wounded him, before removing him from his vehicle and leaving him to bleed on the ground. When Red Crescent medics arrived, the soldiers prevented them from providing Sabarna with the urgently needed treatment, and he bled to death, before the soldiers placed his corpse in a black plastic bag and took him away.”
The soldiers also invaded the home Aref Jaber, a cameraman and local nonviolent activist against the Annexation Wall and Colonies, before confiscating his mobile phone and his camera, in addition to erasing all videos and pictures he took of the army during previous invasions and violations.
During the invasion into his home, the soldiers assaulted him, his wife and children, and threatened to kill him if he continues to document their invasions, and violations committed by the army and illegal Israeli colonialist settlers.
Aref and his wounded wife and children, were rushed by Palestinian medics to Hebron governmental hospital, suffering cuts and bruises.
It is worth mentioning that Jaber documented countless violations carried out by both Israeli soldiers and colonialist settlers, especially in Jaber neighborhood, the adjacent Ibrahimi mosque and its surrounding areas.
He was one of the Palestinians who documented the killing of Rami Wahid Sabarna, 36, who was shot dead by the soldiers, while working in Jaber neighborhood, last week, on Saturday, June 2nd.
After the fatal shooting of Sabarna, who and other workers were conducting work for the Hebron City Council to rehabilitate and expand a road near the Ibrahimi Mosque, Jaber said slain Palestinian was driving a small and loud bulldozer, and added that the worker passed by some soldiers who then started shouting at him an ordering him to stop.
“He did not pose any threat to them, he passed by them and could not hear their shouts and orders,” Aref said, “Then, they just opened fire at him and his bulldozer, seriously wounded him, before removing him from his vehicle and leaving him to bleed on the ground. When Red Crescent medics arrived, the soldiers prevented them from providing Sabarna with the urgently needed treatment, and he bled to death, before the soldiers placed his corpse in a black plastic bag and took him away.”
8 june 2018
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) fired bullets and teargas grenades directly at Palestinian ambulances and medical teams during the ongoing protests within the events of the Great March of Return at the eastern border of the Gaza Strip on Friday.
Palestinian Health Ministry announced that the IOF quelling of the massive march of return caused damage to at least one ambulance east of Khan Younis.
A number of Palestinians were injured including the correspondent of Radio Al-Aqsa Voice and the photographer of the Agence France-Presse, who was shot in his foot by IOF soldiers at the border to the east of Gaza City.
Palestinian Health Ministry announced that the IOF quelling of the massive march of return caused damage to at least one ambulance east of Khan Younis.
A number of Palestinians were injured including the correspondent of Radio Al-Aqsa Voice and the photographer of the Agence France-Presse, who was shot in his foot by IOF soldiers at the border to the east of Gaza City.
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) on Friday shot and killed four Palestinians, including a child, and injured more than 600 others as they continue to crack down the peaceful protests along the eastern border of the Gaza Strip.
The PIC field reporters identified the martyrs as 14-year-old Haitham al-Jamal, Ziad Bureim, 25, Imad Abu Darabi, 21, and Youssef Fassih, 29.
At least 618 Palestinians were also injured during the events.
Five journalists were among the injured including the correspondent of Radio Al-Aqsa Voice and the photographer of the Agence France-Presse, who was shot in his foot by IOF soldiers at the border to the east of Gaza City.
On the other hand, Palestinian health ministry said that Palestinian ambulances and medical teams were directly targeted during the ongoing protests.
Since morning hours, Palestinians have gathered along the Gaza eastern borders for the 11th consecutive Friday to participate in ongoing rallies against Israel’s decades-long occupation.
The PIC field reporters identified the martyrs as 14-year-old Haitham al-Jamal, Ziad Bureim, 25, Imad Abu Darabi, 21, and Youssef Fassih, 29.
At least 618 Palestinians were also injured during the events.
Five journalists were among the injured including the correspondent of Radio Al-Aqsa Voice and the photographer of the Agence France-Presse, who was shot in his foot by IOF soldiers at the border to the east of Gaza City.
On the other hand, Palestinian health ministry said that Palestinian ambulances and medical teams were directly targeted during the ongoing protests.
Since morning hours, Palestinians have gathered along the Gaza eastern borders for the 11th consecutive Friday to participate in ongoing rallies against Israel’s decades-long occupation.
5 june 2018
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) at dawn Tuesday kidnapped several Palestinian citizens, including a journalist, during renewed campaigns in different West Bank areas.
The Israeli army claimed in a statement that its forces arrested five wanted Palestinians accused of being involved in activities against Israel, adding that homemade weapons were found during search campaigns in the West Bank towns of Jalqamus and Dura.
According to local sources in al-Khalil, the IOF kidnapped journalist Suzan al-Awiwi, who is also a member of al-Khalil municipal council, from her home in the city as well as an ex-detainee called Karam Amr during a raid on his home in Dura town.
In Nablus, two Palestinian citizens were reportedly taken prisoners during an IOF campaign in Urif town, where clashes also broke out with local young men.
Five others were also kidnapped from their homes at dawn in Nabi Saleh village, north of Ramallah. All of them are from the family of Tamimi
The IOF has launched frenzied arrest campaigns recently in the West Bank and Jerusalem, targeting in particular ex-detainees and citizens affiliated with Hamas.
The Israeli army claimed in a statement that its forces arrested five wanted Palestinians accused of being involved in activities against Israel, adding that homemade weapons were found during search campaigns in the West Bank towns of Jalqamus and Dura.
According to local sources in al-Khalil, the IOF kidnapped journalist Suzan al-Awiwi, who is also a member of al-Khalil municipal council, from her home in the city as well as an ex-detainee called Karam Amr during a raid on his home in Dura town.
In Nablus, two Palestinian citizens were reportedly taken prisoners during an IOF campaign in Urif town, where clashes also broke out with local young men.
Five others were also kidnapped from their homes at dawn in Nabi Saleh village, north of Ramallah. All of them are from the family of Tamimi
The IOF has launched frenzied arrest campaigns recently in the West Bank and Jerusalem, targeting in particular ex-detainees and citizens affiliated with Hamas.
4 june 2018
Israeli occupation forces committed 125 violations against Palestinian journalists during the past month of May, a Palestinian government office said, in its monthly report.
The report revealed the number and the conditions of wounded Palestinian journalists who sustained injuries while covering the Great March of Return, in eastern Gaza, with note to the large variety of injuries as a result of the use of explosive weapons by Israeli occupation forces.
These weapons caused long-term disabilities for some journalists, while preventing them from carrying out their duties.
According to Al Ray Palestinian Media Agency, the report recorded 55 injuries in the Gaza Strip and 10 in other occupied Palestinian lands, by Israeli forces, during May.
Nine Palestinian journalists were shot with explosive bullets; they are identified as Yasser Qadih, with a bullet in the abdomen, Mutassem Dallul, with two bullets in the abdomen and back, Sami Mutran, with a live bullet in his arm, Amran Hamdan, with a bullet in the leg, Farhan Abu Hadayed, with a bullet in the leg, and Yahya Tamraz, with a bullet in the thigh.
Eight other journalists sustained injuries by shrapnel from explosive bullets.
17 Palestinian journalists sustained burns, wounds and fractures from poison gas bombs that made direct contact with their bodies, while more than 22 journalists suffocated from exposure to the gas. Additionally, occupation soldiers attacked more than four broadcast cars with poison gas, directly causing damages.
The report also recorded 10 injuries among Palestinian journalists in the occupied West Bank, two of them shot with rubber bullets. Adding to this, a number of journalists were beaten by Israeli forces while covering peaceful marches in the occupied West Bank.
The report also recorded the detention of seven journalists, two of whom are administratively detained without charge or trial, one under home arrest, while the detention of two journalists was extended.
Israeli forces also stormed the houses of three journalists, and barred 11 journalists from media coverage.
The report also documented one case of threats and incitement against the poet Darin Tator. Facebook administration, apparently incited by the Israeli occupation, closed the pages and accounts of more than 27 journalists and a media site that included the page of Palestinian Rai News, Palestine Today and Arresalah.
05/15/18 PPC: 500 Palestinians Detained over Facebook Posts
The report revealed the number and the conditions of wounded Palestinian journalists who sustained injuries while covering the Great March of Return, in eastern Gaza, with note to the large variety of injuries as a result of the use of explosive weapons by Israeli occupation forces.
These weapons caused long-term disabilities for some journalists, while preventing them from carrying out their duties.
According to Al Ray Palestinian Media Agency, the report recorded 55 injuries in the Gaza Strip and 10 in other occupied Palestinian lands, by Israeli forces, during May.
Nine Palestinian journalists were shot with explosive bullets; they are identified as Yasser Qadih, with a bullet in the abdomen, Mutassem Dallul, with two bullets in the abdomen and back, Sami Mutran, with a live bullet in his arm, Amran Hamdan, with a bullet in the leg, Farhan Abu Hadayed, with a bullet in the leg, and Yahya Tamraz, with a bullet in the thigh.
Eight other journalists sustained injuries by shrapnel from explosive bullets.
17 Palestinian journalists sustained burns, wounds and fractures from poison gas bombs that made direct contact with their bodies, while more than 22 journalists suffocated from exposure to the gas. Additionally, occupation soldiers attacked more than four broadcast cars with poison gas, directly causing damages.
The report also recorded 10 injuries among Palestinian journalists in the occupied West Bank, two of them shot with rubber bullets. Adding to this, a number of journalists were beaten by Israeli forces while covering peaceful marches in the occupied West Bank.
The report also recorded the detention of seven journalists, two of whom are administratively detained without charge or trial, one under home arrest, while the detention of two journalists was extended.
Israeli forces also stormed the houses of three journalists, and barred 11 journalists from media coverage.
The report also documented one case of threats and incitement against the poet Darin Tator. Facebook administration, apparently incited by the Israeli occupation, closed the pages and accounts of more than 27 journalists and a media site that included the page of Palestinian Rai News, Palestine Today and Arresalah.
05/15/18 PPC: 500 Palestinians Detained over Facebook Posts
