9 Sep 2013 | Digital Freedom, Palestine
(Photo: Shutterstock)
The internet is a vital platform for Palestinians to express themselves, but web access and targeting of social media users, bloggers and journalists remain big challenges, according to a new report from the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedom (MADA).
“The internet and the broad tools of communication made available by the social networks gained great importance specifically in the lives of Palestinians in Gaza, who have been under firm siege by the Israeli occupation forces since 2006, and for the Palestinian people in general due to the dispersion they have experienced since the Nakba of 1984 [sic], and now they can communicate with their relatives and friends in the different parts of the world quickly and immediately”, said Mr. Mousa Rimawi, MADA’s general director.
The report states that 67% of Palestinians polled by MADA in 2012 believe Facebook contributes to the promotion of freedom of expression.
However, the latest figures quoted show that internet penetration in Palestine is at 32.1%; 34.3% in the West Bank and 27.9% in the Gaza Strip. Lack of infrastructure due to the Israeli occupation and high service charges are the biggest blocks to access, the report finds.
The report also highlighted threats to journalists working in Palestine. Examples included the imprisonment of Al Quds TV reporter Mamdouh Hamamrah for posting an image deemed to be offensive to President Mahmoud Abbas, and the arrest of journalist Esmat Abdel Khalek for a comment she made on Facebook demanding an end to the Palestinian Authority.
“Violations against journalists and citizens simply for expressing their opinions lead to the strengthening of self-censorship, which is incompatible with the idea of having the social platforms that is suppose to make it easier for citizens and journalists to express their opinions”, said Riham Abu Aita, a MADA spokesperson.
The article was edited on 30 September at 12.00 pm to acknowledge an error in the quote from Mr. Mousa Rimawi, which gives the year of the Nakba as 1984, it took place in 1948.
31 Aug 2011 | Events
Date: Thursday 15 Sept
Time: 5.30 – 9pm
Venue: Free Word Centre, EC1R 3GA
Tickets: Click here (valid for both parts of the evening, £5 / £3 concessions)
Index on Censorship, Article 19 and Culture + Conflict present an evening focusing on The Freedom Theatre, the extraordinarily inspirational and courageous cultural initiative based in the Jenin Refugee Camp on the West Bank.
The artistic director Juliano Mer Khamis was assassinated in Jenin on 4 April 2011, but the theatre continues its work. We are privileged to welcome film-maker Ahmad Alaraj from the Theatre, who will present Arna’s Children and a series of short films. He will appear in conversation with the new director of the Free Word Centre, Rose Fenton, co-founder and former co-director of the London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT).
The evening will be in two parts, with a single ticket, which is valid for both.
5.30 – 7.00: Arna’s Children (2003, 84 min) directed by Juliano Mer Khamis and Danniel Danniel, a documentary about the children’s theatre group established by Arna Mer-Khamis, Juliano’s mother, an Israeli Jewish political and human rights activist. This moving film, which won Best Documentary Feature at the 2004 Tribeca Film Festival, follows the lives of Arna and the members of the theatre.
7.30 – 9.00: Ahmad Alaraj of the Freedom Theatre will present and discuss four short films about the continuing work of the Theatre today with Rose Fenton: the challenges it faces working with young people in Jenin and the transformative effect it has on their lives. There will be an opportunity for questions and discussion with Ahmad.
Food and refreshments will be available.
24 Aug 2011 | Index Index, Middle East and North Africa, minipost
The Freedom Theatre in Jenin’s refugee camp came under attack by the the Israel Defence Force in the early morning of 22 August. Having been notified that soldiers were surrounding the theatre, Acting General Manager Jacob Gough arrived at the scene, where he was confronted by armed soldiers. He was detained following his attempts to get closer to the theatre. A security guard was also physically attacked and his home was raided by soldiers, who reportedly fired live ammunition in an attempt to disperse the crowd that had gathered around the house. This is the third time the theatre has been targeted in the last month. In April, its general manager Juliano Mer Khamis was gunned down by an unknown assassin.
24 Aug 2011 | Index Index, Middle East and North Africa, minipost
On August 21, two Palestinian journalists, Usaid Abd Al Majid Amarana, of Al-Aqsa TV, and Amar Abu Urfa, a reporter for Shahab news agency, were arrested. Both journalists were seized by Israeli soldiers in their homes. According to reports, soldiers stormed and searched Amarana’s home. During the arrest, soldiers opened fire and wounded Amarana’s cousin. Urfa’s arrest in Hebron resembled that of Amarana.
