Report: Israel Committed 57 Violations against Palestinian Journalists in November

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sraeli forces and illegal settlers committed 57 violations and assaults against Palestinian journalists in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip during November, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) said on Saturday. The organization warned that the pattern of incidents indicates a “continued systematic escalation” intended to obstruct press freedom and prevent media crews from fulfilling their professional duties.

In its monthly assessment, the PJS Committee on Press Freedoms said that the violations demonstrated increasingly “dangerous patterns” that directly target journalistic work and place reporters’ lives at risk. The report noted that two journalists, one in Tulkarem and another in Gaza, were injured while covering events. According to the syndicate, both were struck by live ammunition or plastic-coated bullets fired during confrontations in their respective locations.

The PJS emphasized that illegal Israeli settlers played a prominent role in the most serious assaults documented during the month. It described numerous incidents in which settlers prevented journalists from filming, pursued them through rural areas, beat them with sticks, hurled stones at them, and at times brandished weapons to threaten media crews. These assaults occurred across several areas of the West Bank and contributed to what the syndicate called a climate of fear and intimidation aimed at restricting coverage.

Detention of journalists

The report also recorded a series of other violations. Sixteen incidents involved the detention of journalists or the obstruction of their work by Israeli forces. In addition, there were several cases of direct physical assault unrelated to gunfire, along with multiple incidents in which cameras or other equipment were confiscated or media material was forcibly deleted.

The syndicate also documented two cases in which journalists’ vehicles were destroyed or taken. It reported that one journalist was arrested, another experienced a raid on his home, and a separate case involved a journalist being brought before an Israeli court.

Mohammed al-Lahham, who heads the PJS Press Freedoms Committee, said the figures reflected “a clear policy aimed at silencing Palestinian journalists.” He stressed that the escalation in attacks has continued despite the clear visibility of press markings and the international protections afforded to journalists under humanitarian law.

Al-Lahham called on the global community to increase pressure on Israel to halt daily violations and to provide international protection for journalists working in Palestinian territories.

Assaults in the shadow of a genocide in Gaza

The growing number of assaults comes against the wider backdrop of Israel’s two-year military campaign in Gaza and mounting violence in the occupied West Bank. According to the syndicate, more than 70,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, while nearly 171,000 have been injured. The war came to a halt under a cease-fire agreement implemented on Oct. 10. In the West Bank, Israeli forces and armed settlers have killed at least 1,088 Palestinians and wounded more than 10,700 others since the war began. More than 20,500 Palestinians have also been arrested during this period.

Press freedom organizations say Palestinian journalists are working in one of the world’s most dangerous environments for media workers. They argue that the scale of violations committed since October 2023 demonstrates a pattern of deliberate targeting designed to restrict documentation of events on the ground. The PJS reiterated its call for an international monitoring and protection mechanism, warning that without external intervention, attacks against Palestinian journalists are likely to continue growing in frequency and severity.

(Source: Anadolu News)