Israel continued targeting Palestinian journalists and media outlets who were covering mass protests around Al-Aqsa Mosque last week, local media organisations have said.
Overnight raids targeted media production companies in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah on Saturday while a number of journalists were attacked while covering the protests in occupied East Jerusalem last week.
In a predawn raid Saturday, Israeli forces broke into the headquarters of PalMedia, a media production company that provides broadcast services to several media outlets, including Russia Today, Al-Mayadeen, Al-Manar, and Al-Quds news, ransacked the offices, and destroyed equipment over accusations of alleged “incitement”.
Israeli occupation forces attacked Palestinians and journalists at #AlAqsa' Bab Al-Asbat shorty ago! #HandsOffAlAqsa pic.twitter.com/ZnWlN39Akk
— eman qasim (@EmanQasim) July 19, 2017
Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi denounced the raid. “Israel’s policies of violence and repression are a blatant attempt to break the steadfastness of the Palestinian people” and represent a violation of international human rights law regarding freedom of expression, she said.
“Such Israeli policies of violence and repression, as well as the recent attacks against Palestinian members of the press in and around occupied East Jerusalem, are a blatant attempt to break the steadfastness of the Palestinian people.”
She urged the international community to take immediate action “to curb Israel’s ongoing breach of international law and conventions and to support our nonviolent and diplomatic efforts to seek justice and protection for the Palestinian people in all international legal venues.”
In a statement released on Friday, Reporters Without Borders accused Israeli forces of using “intimidation, denial of access, violence and arrests to limit or prevent media coverage of the demonstrations and clashes sparked by the introduction of additional security measures around the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem.”
(MEMO, PC, Social Media)
