Israel continues to harass Palestine journalists

Israeli occupation authorities continue harassing and suppressing Palestinian journalists, mainly in Jerusalem’s neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah, where Palestinian families are being threatened with expulsion from their homes to be surrendered to Jewish settlers.

The Prisoners and Freed Prisoners Commission indicated in a statement sent to the media that since the start of the protests, the Israeli occupation has a “systematic” policy of harassing Palestinians, mainly in Jerusalem, and is exerting much effort to undermine exposing its crimes.

According to the commission, Israeli action against the Palestinian journalists varies between detention, investigation, confiscating equipment, suppressing freedom of movement, opening live fire, raiding media offices and closing them.

The commission announced that the Israeli occupation forces had detained a number of journalists and imposed fines on others. It also pointed out that the number of Palestinian journalists inside Israeli jails had risen to 18, following the detention of Zeineh Halawani and cameraman Wahbi Mekkia.

According to witnesses, the two journalists were beaten and lynched before they were detained by the Israeli occupation forces.

The commission called for international rights groups to dispatch investigation and documentation missions to investigate and document Israeli violations against the Palestinian media, and suing Israel before international courts.

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