Israel sentences female Palestinian journalist over incitement claims

The Israeli Magistrate’s Court in Jerusalem sentenced female Palestinian journalist Samah Dweik to six months in prison on Monday on Facebook incitement charges, Quds Press reported.

The Israeli forces arrested Dweik from her house in Ras al-Amoud suburb in the Jerusalem neighbourhood of Silwan on 10 April. She is now in HaSharon Prison.

Dweik is a correspondent for the social news network Quds News and she reports from the occupied city of Jerusalem. She is one of over 60 Palestinian women held by the Israeli authorities.

She is also one of more than 20 Palestinian journalists imprisoned by Israel, including member of the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate Omar Nazzal, Addameer Media Coordinator Hasan Safadi and Quds Press Editor Ahmed al-Bitawi who are all accused of “Facebook incitement”.

Latest statistics show that Israel has arrested 157 Palestinian journalists relating to Facebook incitement since April 2015. Some of them were charged and others were put under administrative detention.