Israel Ramps up Attacks on Reporters in the West Bank

Israeli forces are targeting journalists in the West Bank with growing frequency, contributing to a record number of 108 violations committed against reporters in Palestine as a whole this July. 

Documented violations range from detention, physical assault and obstruction of coverage to raids on journalists’ homes and seizure of equipment. 

According to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PSJ), 90% of incidents recorded last month occurred in the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem.

The most common violations were attempts to obstruct journalistic coverage, at a moment when settler attacks in the West Bank have reached an all-time high. There were 58 instances of journalists being stopped from reporting on illegal activity – more than double last September’s tally of 27 incidents. 

Al Jazeera reports that more than 270 journalists have been killed since October 2023. 

In March, Israeli soldiers killed two Palestinian journalists. Amal Shamali, a Qatar Radio correspondent in Gaza, was struck in an attack targeting displaced people’s tents in Nuseirat refugee camp. Palestine TV’s Marwan Harzallah died in Israel’s Megiddo Prison, where he was being held without charge.

Palestine has become the most dangerous place in the world for journalists, according to Reporters Without Borders. The rights group filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court in 2023, accusing Israel of committing war crimes against journalists in Palestine and Israel itself.