Israel committed 66 violations against journalists in July, says union

Israel committed 66 violations against journalists in July, the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate (PJS) said on Monday.

The union said that the most dangerous violation saw Israeli soldiers opening fire at three journalists in the occupied West Bank and injuring them. It also said that the Israeli occupation army prevented media teams from carrying out their duties on 28 occasions, while journalists were targeted by tear gas canisters or sound grenades 24 times, and beaten harshly three times.

Two journalists have been detained by the occupation state, with three banned from travelling. Another three have been attacked by illegal Israeli Jewish settlers.

According to the union, Israel targets journalists intentionally, despite them wearing vests and helmets which identify them as media personnel. This, it added, is Israel’s way of suppressing freedom of expression.

Moreover, social media platforms targeted pro-Palestinian content. There have been at least twelve reported cases of pages and accounts being closed or otherwise censored.

READ: Israel arrested 150 Palestinians since start of August