Alwaght- Israeli Regime crackdown on journalists and its violation of media freedom have increased by 17% in the first half of 2016, a Palestinian watchdog reported.
The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms, known as MADA, had declared an “unprecedented” increase in the violation against journalists in 2015 when the incidents of aggression against press reached “the highest ever to be monitored in Palestine” since the group started monitoring violations against media freedoms more than a decade ago.
The center has recorded a 17 percent increase in yet “unprecedented” violations of media freedom by Israeli forces during the first half of 2016, MADA General Director Moussa Rimawi said in the semi-annual report.
Although the number of violations by Palestinian authorities in the region has decreased to 198 in the first half of this year from 224 in same period of 2015, the Israeli forces have increased their aggression against the media to a total of 133 incidents.
“Israeli violations are considered as the most grave and dangerous not only in terms of quantity, but in terms of their severity” Rimawi said.
The most common types of violations committed by Israeli authorities against journalists are physical attacks, arrests, confiscation of equipment, prevention of coverage, and detentions that rank the highest in 15 violations documented by MADA.
During the period between January and June of 2016, Israelis shot down two media institutions after raiding their headquarters and confiscating equipment, detaining 23 journalists while 23 others have been exposed to physical injuries from bullets, stun grenades, tear gas canisters, or beatings
The most severe violation recorded during the first half of 2016 was the “execution” of the 22-year-old Palestinian journalism student Iyad Omar Sajadiyya, who was shot dead by Israeli forces in March during fierce clashes that broke out when the military raided Qalandiya refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.
Escalating crackdown against journalists is also visible against social media users who face severe violations if the content of their sites is deemed “dangerous” for “personal, public or state security” in Israel.
The rage of aggressions comes after a Knesset legislation to fine the Twitter and Facebook users in case the content of their account is recognized as dangerous for Israel.
