Israel’s ongoing violence against Palestinian journalists is backfiring

Israel marked World Press Freedom Day by being violent against Palestinian journalists, disrupting a peaceful protest organised outside Ofer Prison. Two journalists – Ashraf Al-Nibai and Amin Alariya – were arrested by Israeli forces while other protestors were dispersed by tear gas. This latest violation comes after 13 journalists covering an occupied East Jerusalem sit-in were attacked by Israeli forces, beaten with rifle butts and verbally abused. Ma’an news agency reported that Israeli forces also confiscated cameras and other equipment from the assaulted journalists.

Unsurprisingly, the deployment and ensuing violations were deemed a normal dispersion exercise “without any noteworthy or exceptional events occurring.” The authorities’ statement normalises the violence meted out to Palestinian journalists by Israeli forces and, indeed, the Palestinian Authority. In the context of the ongoing “Freedom and Dignity” hunger strike, these repressive actions should be seen as generating wider repercussions. Just as hunger-striking prisoners embody the struggle against colonial violence and its collaborators, so too do Palestinian journalists face similar violations. Indeed, the imprisonment of Palestinian journalists by Israel or their detention and interrogation by PA security services prior to their transfer to Israeli jails all turn the mass hunger strike into a much wider protest than is generally acknowledged. The cause of both prisoners and journalists is intertwined as a result of them facing a common oppressor – Israel — and is obstructed by the fact that the PA has demonstrated repeatedly its refusal to safeguard the rights of the Palestinian people.

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The Palestinian Centre for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) has called for a coalition to defend freedom of expression in Palestine, noting that as a response to increasing violence against journalists, self-censorship as a form of personal protection tends to flourish. Palestinian journalists have been subjected to various forms of abuse and torture when detained and interrogated; they have also been held without charge or trial under so-called administrative detention, which has prompted several to embark upon hunger strikes in protest. Mohammed Al-Qeq’s case was catapulted to international prominence, resulting in a macabre spectacle with images of intense suffering making headlines for days prior to a brief negotiated release, only for him to be rearrested and placed under open-ended administrative detention yet again.

Such deliberate targeting of journalists indicates that Israel seeks to maintain its violent policies by increasing repression upon the profession that is most likely to increase awareness of what “the only democracy in the Middle East” is doing. The recent Israeli violence against Palestinian journalists illustrates this. Despite attempts to thwart the mass hunger strike organised by Marwan Barghouti, however, Israel has to classify its efforts as another failure, even if it has not suffered any diplomatic or other repercussions; the international community has much too invested in the colonial project to consider isolating Israel.

By targeting journalists covering Palestinian solidarity with imprisoned hunger strikers, Israel sought to halt the dissemination of the prisoners’ political struggle. The plans backfired spectacularly. While there should be sufficient coverage regarding this Israeli show of force, Palestinian journalists have not only managed to show the dangerous nature of their profession, but also achieved the goal of highlighting Israel’s attempts to isolate Palestinian prisoners from society and the world.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.