Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory / Middle East & North Africa

  

Israeli forces arrest Palestinian filmmaker Abdulrahman Thaher at his home in Nablus

New York, October 28, 2020 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today called for the immediate release of Palestinian journalist Abdulrahman Thaher. Yesterday, Israeli security forces raided the home of Thaher, a Palestinian filmmaker and TV producer and presenter, in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, arrested him, and took him to an unknown…

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Israeli security forces arrest Palestinian journalist Tareq Abu Zeid in Nablus

New York, October 6, 2020 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed concern about the recent arrest of Palestinian freelance journalist Tareq Abu Zeid by Israeli security forces. On October 1, Israeli security forces raided Abu Zeid’s home in the northern West Bank city of Nablus and arrested him, according to news reports and…

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In an era of global protest, France and Israel stand out for use of dangerous ammunition

With the world gripped in a historic wave of unrest, journalists in no fewer than 65 countries – about a third of the world – have been attacked covering protests since 2015, according to a report I authored for a U.N. agency that was published today. One thing that stood out during my research for the report Safety…

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Hamas security forces hold 2 journalists in Gaza for 48 hours for allegedly spreading false news

On July 16, 2020, security forces in Gaza summoned journalists Muthanna al-Najjar, a reporter for the Saudi-funded broadcaster Al-Hadath and the local Al-Quds Radio, and freelance journalist Tareq abu Ishaq, who contributes to the news website 4Media, to the local Attorney General’s office for questioning over a complaint by the local Education Ministry, according to…

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Gaza authorities ban Saudi-funded broadcasters over ‘fake news’ report

New York, July 16, 2020 – Gaza authorities should immediately lift their bans on the Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath broadcasters and allow them to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, the Interior Ministry in the Gaza Strip, which is run by Hamas, banned the Saudi-funded news channels from working in Gaza, and…

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Israeli police assault, detain Israeli photographer Tomer Appelbaum during protests in Tel Aviv against West Bank annexation

Israeli police kneed, punched, shoved, and briefly detained Tomer Appelbaum, a photographer for the Israeli daily Haaretz, as he was covering a Tel Aviv demonstration against Israel’s West Bank annexation on June 6, 2020, Appelbaum told CPJ via messaging app. Haaretz also reported on the incident, which was captured in videos shared to social media….

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Palestinian police officers are seen in Hebron, in the West Bank, on April 7, 2020. Police recently attacked and arrested journalist Anas Hawari at a checkpoint. (Reuters/Mussa Qawasma)

Palestinian police assault and arrest journalist Anas Hawari

On May 15, 2020, Palestinian police officers manning a checkpoint in the West Bank town of Anabta pulled over, assaulted, and arrested Anas Hawari, a reporter for the Hamas-affiliated Quds News Network, according to a report by his employer, a Facebook post by his lawyer, Mohannad Karajeh, and a report by the Skeyes Center for…

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Police are seen in Gaza City on March 31, 2020. Police in Gaza recently arrested Palestinian cartoonist Ismael el-Bozom. (AFP/Mohammed Abed)

Hamas security forces repeatedly detain Palestinian cartoonist Ismael el-Bozom

New York, April 2, 2020 — Hamas-affiliated authorities should stop their campaign of harassment against Palestinian cartoonist Ismael el-Bozom, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Government Technology Agency staff demonstrate Singapore's new contact-tracing smartphone app called TraceTogether, as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus on March 20, 2020. Bill Marczak, an expert in cellphone surveillance technology, told CPJ about the implications for journalists as governments ramp up their capacity to monitor citizens in a time of crisis. (AFP/Catherine Lai)

Expert Bill Marczak: What journalists should know about coronavirus cellphone tracking

Governments all over the world have been considering cellphone surveillance to help track and contain the spread of the coronavirus.

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A member of the Palestinian security forces loyal to Hamas is seen in the southern Gaza Strip on June 23, 2019. Journalist Yasser Abu Athara was recently assaulted by security forces while covering a protest related to the COVID-19 outbreak. (Reuters/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa)

Gaza police assault journalist Yasser Abu Athara while covering COVID-19 protest

On March 15, 2020, Hamas-controlled security forces in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah assaulted Yasser Abu Athara, a camera operator for the Kan’an News Agency news website, while he was covering a protest against local authorities’ decision to turn two schools into quarantine centers for people infected with COVID-19, according to news reports,…

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