Israeli forces and illegal settlers committed 57 violations and assaults against Palestinian journalists in the occupied West Bank and Gaza during November, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) reported on Dec. 6.The syndicate said the continued pattern of violations reflects “a systematic escalation aimed at preventing media crews from performing their professional duties.”
In its monthly update, the PJS Committee on Press Freedoms said the incidents demonstrated “dangerous patterns directly targeting journalistic work and endangering journalists’ lives.”
Two journalists in Tulkarem and Gaza were injured by live ammunition and plastic bullets while covering events on the ground.Illegal settlers were responsible for 22 of the documented assaults, which included efforts to block press coverage, chasing reporters, physical beatings with sticks, stone-throwing, and threatening journalists with weapons.
The report further detailed 16 cases of detention and obstruction of reporting, six incidents of direct physical assault, four instances of equipment confiscation or forced deletion of materials, and two cases where weapons were pointed directly at journalists.
Also, two cases of vehicle destruction or confiscation were recorded, along with one journalist’s arrest, a home raid, and a court summons.The figures “reflect a clear policy aimed at silencing Palestinian journalists.”