Israeli forces apprehend and imprison 11 journalists 
The violation of journalists by the hand of Israeli forces have exceeded 48 acts of aggression during the month of September 2017

The Journalists Support Committee verified that violations of Palestinian journalists by the Israeli Forces have recently intensified to the extent that it has caused alarming danger to the journalists' lives and causes them to stop carrying out their professional duties.

The committee mentioned in its monthly report that the number of rights violations of journalists in Palestine has exceeded “53 violations” during the month of September 2017, a large number of which, was done by the Israeli forces (48) whereas Palestinians Authorities violations reached (5).

The monthly report added that the Israeli forces are still subjecting journalists to live fire and tear gas and they continue to physically abuse them as well as carrying out immediate arrests.  All this, are a part of their strategic politics, of covering up the truth, silencing free speech and banning the freedom of expression to cover up their daily crimes that are carried out on the secluded Palestinian citizens and stopping news from reaching global community's awareness.   

The Israeli violations

The monthly report brought to our attention the injury of 8 Palestinian journalists, who are: The photographer of 'PalMedia Watch,' Samir Hamid, by a direct gas grenade during his events coverage at Bethlehem, the photographer of Wafa Agency, Mashhur al-Wahwah, through suffocation, during his work in the city of Hebron, the violation on journalist Jaafar Ashtiah through physical violence, threatening him with weapons during his work at Jordan Valley, the inflicted injury on the journalist Mus'ab Al-Khateeb by a gas grenade that hit him directly, in the north of the Jordan Valley, the physical abuse of journalist Ra'id Abu Rumaila after Israeli forces invaded the Abu Sneina area in the city of Hebron, the afflicted injury of multiple journalists through suffocation during their coverage of the protest taking place in Qalqas, south of Hebron, and the injury of a number of journalists during their coverage of the weekly march in Kafr Qaddum and many other journalists were subjected to physical violence and suffocation during their coverage of the events taking place near the Honourable Sanctuary of Abraham (Al-Haram Al-Ibrahimi) in Hebron. 

The report recorded 11 cases where journalists faced arrest, imprisonment, and summons by the Israeli forces and how four journalists got arrested, and they are: Ragheed Tubaysa from Qalqaliyya, Abdul-Rahman Awad (he has now been released), the sister of Muhammad Awad (both of them are from Ramallah), Alaa Badarna from Tubas, and another four got arrested, and they are: Kayid Hassanain from the occupied territory, Hazim Badr from Hebron, Issam Al-Rimawiy, Talal Abu Rahma. Another three journalists were summoned for questioning, and they are: Dawud Afanat, the producer Muhammad Bakri from inside the occupied lands, Ahmad Jalajil from Jerusalem. 
    
The monthly report verified the claims about Ragheed Tubaysa's extended imprisonment and the reports of another three active warrants recently issued for three journalists: Yusuf Shalabi, Mustafa Al-Khawaja, and Alaa Al-Taytee, postponement of the court hearing of 3 other journalists who work for Sanabil TV crew, Muhammad Akram, Nidal Amro and Muntasar Nassar who have recently faced multiple court delays. 

Concerning the work suspension of multiple journalists, during the month of September that just passed, six journalist crew members were banned from covering the demonstrations and activities events by the Israeli forces. Those journalists under the ban are the 'Palestine Today' and 'Al-Arabi' crew team. Israeli forces threatened and verbally abused four journalists and subjected some of them to total humiliation and disrespect by forcing them to take off their clothes. Israeli forces also issued rulings demanding the closure and retraction of licenses given to Al-Jazeera's office in Jerusalem, and the retraction of its crews' badges. 

Concerning the raids and intrusions carried out by the Israeli forces on the journalists' properties and houses, the Israeli forces raided five separate homes during which, they ruined furniture, property, and belongings while searching the houses and vandalizing them while they're at it. During this invasion of private property, they confiscated two personal items belonging to the journalists. 

The Israeli forces closed one center named Hakawatee (Storyteller) and fined two of the journalists present at the time of closure. 

Regarding the issue of internal violations carried out in Palestine, the report mentioned five violations, which were carried out by Palestinian security personnel in the West Bank region, arresting 2, Ayman Al-Qawasimi and the activist reporter Issa Amro. These violations also included the extension of Ayman's imprisonment after his arrest and a court ruling carried out by Gaza's authority against the journalist Hajar Harb, leaving her case in abeyance and forcing her to pay a fine. 

The following are the details of the most serious violations carried out by the Israeli forces, monitored by the Journalists Support Committee in its September Report, 2017:

05/09/2017: The court of Ofer delayed the court case of the journalist Muhammad Amran till the date of 27/09/2017 and the case of Nidal Amro and Muntasir Nassar till the date of 17/10/2017. They both work for the Sanabil TV Channel in the city of Hebron. 

05/09/2017: Israeli forces raided and closed the printing office of Al-Nour, located in the middle of the Al-Najma area in the middle of Ramallah, confiscating printing machines and computer tills including the money inside it.  

06/09/2017: Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, issued a ruling stopping the head of Al-Jazeera's office Waleed Al-Omari from participating in a conference organized by Israel's journalism office in Al-Quds about “the dilemma between home security and press freedom.”

06/09/2017: Netanyahu requested a legal continuation in the removal of Al-Jazeera's license for its journalists that work in Israel in addition to closing down the channel's office in Al-Quds. 

13/09/2017: The military court of Ofer issued a ruling decreeing the 18-month immediate imprisonment of the Journalist Yusif Shalabi (aged 26). That is after arresting him in 23/3/2017. He worked as a freelance news reporter with multiple news sites and agencies.

15/09/2017: Israeli forces targeted, the photographer of Pal Media, Samir Hamid, by directly hitting him with a gas canister throughout his visual coverage of the people of Bethlehem's activism. Samir got injured from the close range hit inflicted and suffered from serious suffocation. 

17/09/2017: Police officers arrested the 'Yafa Today' news reporter Kayid Hassanain for less than an hour, confiscating his belongings, subjecting him to verbal abuse and forcing him to remove his clothes. This took place during his stay in the city of Bat Yam, which neighbors Yafa. After six days passed since he was first arrested, he was put through interrogation, had his house raided and his property and furniture ruined. All because he called for a protest in the city of Yafa through the social media site Facebook. He was later released. 

18/09/2017: Hazim Badir who works as a photographer for a French agency gets arrested because of his media coverage of protests against the closures happening near the Ibraheemi Haram in Hebron.  

21//09/2017: The journalist Mashhur Al-Wahwah gets injured after getting suffocated by the Israeli forces poisonous gas canisters, which were fired at him during his live coverage of the forces raids at Al-Manara roundabout in the middle of Hebron. He works as a photographer for Wafa agency.

22/09/2017: A number of journalists were injured and suffered from suffocation after having tear gas fired at them by the Israeli forces. During the journalists live coverage of the protests taking place at Khirbit Qalqas's south of Hebron, where hundreds of people from that region gathered, calling for the reopening of the pathway that is connected to Hebron, the journalists were targeted and came under fire. The protest came in response to the increase in car accidents in the area. 

22/09/2017: Journalists get targeted by rubber bullets, disrupting their coverage of clashes that broke out during the weekly protest of Kafr Qadum. 

24/09/2017: Israeli forces from the break of dawn arrested the journalist Raghid Tabsiyya, who works as a news reporter for the global Al-Najah network in the West Bank. His house in the Al-Naqqar area, in the city of Qalqayliyya, was raided and searched. He had his mobile phone, and some personal belongings were confiscated. Armed forces wreaked havoc through his house before arresting him and taking him to an unknown location. 

25/09/2017: The Israeli forces handed the family of the journalist from Abu Deess, Dawud Affana, a security warning, ordering him to refer to 'Shabak', the Israeli security agency. 

25/09/2017: The Israeli ministry demands an investigation be opened with the Palestinian director and artist Muhammed Bakri, because of his visit to Lebanon and because of his speech during a journalist conference that took place there, claiming that his speech “advocates enmity” against “Israel.” Mr. Bakri remains in his visit where he will be attending the “Palestinian Days” week, where he will have his films and theatre shows displayed. 

25/9/2017: The Israeli forces threatened Talal Abu Rahma, who is the American CNN correspondent and a journalist who heads the 'Al-Manar Regional' Channel. Mr. Rahma was traveling towards Al-Karama Bridge near the Jordanian Border, and as he was heading towards the Jordanian capital for his routine medical trip, he was stopped and threatened. This is all because of the viral video he recorded of the Israeli's infantry cold-bloodedly murdering the young child, Muhammad Al-Durra at the beginning of the first 'Intifada' back in 2000. 

26/09/2017: The Israeli forces arrested the journalist Abdul Rahman Awad, at the break of dawn. Mr. Awad works for the Safa Agency. After raiding his house in the area of Bidriss, borough of Ramallah and after ransacking his property, he was released on 28/9/2017. 

26/09/2017: Israeli forces stopped The Al-Araby TV crew, which included the correspondent Bashar Zughayr, and the photographer Eithar Abu Ghrayba from exiting the Bayt Sureek area, north-west of Al-Quds. After they closed its main entrance because of a clash that broke out between the forces and two Palestinian youths. They threatened the crew members by telling them they will throw gas canisters in their car. 

26/09/2017: Israeli forces fired shots at the photographer of the "Al-Hayat Al-Jadidah" journal, Issam Al-Reymawei without actually hitting him. This came after he refused to abide by their command to stop photographing while he was at a military checkpoint, near a built on the lands of Bayt Surayk Israeli settlement, north-west of Al-Quds. They arrested and interrogated him for an hour. 

26/09/2017: The military court of Awfar issued two delayed for three years sentences of 8 months to two correspondents of the satellite channel Al-Aqsa channel, Mustafa Al-Khawaja and Alaa Al-Taytei from the West Bank. They also fined them 3000 new Israeli shekel which taken from their bail money.  

27/09/2017: Israeli forces banned a cultural conference from taking place. The ruling was issued out by the defence ministry and signed by the minister of public security Gilad Erdan. The conference was due to take place in the Storyteller National Palestinian Theatre Hall 'Al-Hakawati' which is located in the middle of Al-Quds. Israeli authorities claimed that the conference was organized by the National Palestinian Authority. 

27/09/2017: The Israeli forces summoned the photographer and journalist Ahmad Jalajil, the chief reporter of Maqdisiya clubs community, for investigation on the 29th September for his coverage of the Storyteller theatre closure in Al-Quds. 

27/09/2017: Israeli forces arrested the journalist Alaa Badarne, the correspondent for the German agency after they attacked and terrorized him during his journalist work, covering the clashes that took place in Sahl Al-Baqiyaa, south Tubas in northern Aghwar. 

27/09/2017: Israeli forces attack the journalist Jaafar Ahtiat with brutal force, threatening him with their weapons during his journalism work where he was covering a clash in Sahl Al-Baqiyaa, south Tubas in Northern 'Aghwar. 

27/09/2017: The inflicted injury of Musaab Al-Khateeb, caused by a gas canister directly hitting him, during his coverage of the face-off taking place in Sahl Al-Baqiaa, in the south of Tubas, Northern aghwar. 

27/09/2017: Israeli forces arrest the journalist Muhammad Shukri Ahmad Awad, 29 years of age, after raiding his house and searching it in the town of Bidris, west Ramallah, he works as a photographer for Watan (nation) a local TV channel.

27/09/2017: The Israeli court extended the imprisonment of the Journalist Rughayd Tubaysa (24 years old), from the city of Qalqaliyya, for another three days after arresting him on 24/9/2017 and after raiding his area. He works as a journalist and TV show presenter. He has previously been subjected to arrest, imprisonment and violation a number of times by the Israeli forces. 

27/09/2017: Israeli forces restricted the TV crew of Palestine Today, which includes the correspondent Jihad Barakat, the photographer Shadi Zamaara, from recording and photographing the clashes that broke out between Israeli forces and two young Palestinian males in the village of Badu, north-west of Al-Quds. 

29/9/2017: Israeli forces attack a group of journalists during their close up coverage of events taking place near the Ibraheemi Harem in Hebron. 

29/09/2017: The summoning of the chief reporter and journalist of Al-Andiyya Al-Muqaddasiyya Ahmad Jalajil, for investigation at the Maskubiyya police station on the 1st of October, because of his recordings of the police raids that took place at the Storyteller Theatre in Al-Quds.

30/09/2017: Israeli forces attack the journalists Ra'id Abu Rumayla after raiding his area Abu Snayna in the city of Hebron.  

Details of Palestinian internal violations inside of Gaza that was verified by The Journalists Support Committee during the month of September 2017:

04/09/2017: Palestinian intelligence agencies arrested the Manbar Al-Hurriyah Radio Station's manager, Ayman Al-Qawsimi (45 years old) because he called on president Mahmoud Abbass and the prime minister Rami AlHamdellah to resign, claiming they have both failed to protect Palestinian organizations.

04/09/2017: Palestinian Preventive Security Service arrested the activist and reporter Issa Amro (37 years of age), who is the organizer of the youth against settlements in Hebron, south of West Bank. They arrested him for his post on Facebook.

05/09/2017: The extension of Ayman Al-Qawasimi's imprisonment, for another 24 hours because of his “loudmouth,” before letting him go. 

14/09/2017: The Gaza Court issued a delayed sentence to an absent journalist, Hajar Muhammad Harb of 6 months jail time with a 1000 new Israeli shekel fine.

Journalist Support Committee – Palestine
7 October 2017