supplied westbank, storming and shutting down houses here was bureau enrollment. the truth must be protected and heard. and the stories of real people must be told. this is not just an attack on journalism. it's an attack on the world's right to know. journalism is not of coolant or pressing, it's the advice about being me, i need to more because see in the middle east, israel is relentlessly cracking down on press. freedom with the out. is there a network of main target even is right. the media outlets the complaining about constant censorship. so was israel trying to hide? this is inside story, the

hello there on change space is rather, is intensifying. it's cranked down on media coverage, events will on casa, and other results. the image is there, a network has again being targeted this time in the occupied westbank. this office is closed down by armed and mos soldiers, and it's operation suspended for 45 days. the controversial media law passed in april means action can be taken against foreign journalists for allegedly humming israel, security. and it's not just the foreign press that are complaining even is really media is on the scrutiny and it's coverage on the was had to go through military census. so how far would as well go and restricting press freedom. we'll go ahead and discuss this with our panel of guests in a moment. but 1st this report from for the account force to shut in stores as a tax, and the palestinians and the occupied westbank reached their worst level in years. this raid out a 0 is bureau in ramallah on sunday is the latest in a long history of censorship and

a tax on free pressed by israel. the year before the war and gas, it began. veteran out a 0 correspondence, sharina acolyte, was shot dead by in his ready sniper or covering a rate in the occupied westbank. and since the october 7th attack by him, us and launch is real defensive on the guides of strip and occupied westbank journalists have been constantly attacked. is this that same month? how does 0 is former guys a bureau chief? well, dad, you lost his wife, teenage son, 7 year old daughter. i'm grandson too, and his rating strike in december do on his camera man summer, about dec. i were injured in a drone strike is ready for has prevented ambulances and rescue workers from reaching them. and some are glad to dest weeks laser, while daddy's son, how does that was killed by a direct strike on his vehicle for covering and his ready attack on southern gaza? alda 0 is man, i'll cool his camera man, and run the rest the were directly targeted, and it is really striking july both but wearing their press best. and these are

just the attacks on out to 0 more than a 170 journalists and media workers have been killed by his ready forces in gaza. price paid for revealing what is really leaders would rather keep hidden, incidents like this, the killing of 4 apparently on armed men buying his ready drone. this voltage obtained by out as they are in march or the scale of the destruction inside or chief of hospital offerings. ray, the ray that killed hundreds of protest in use and within israel, censorship is being expanded. in april, the kinetic passed a law allowing foreign media outlets to be closed down if they're considered to pose a security risk. how does the or is operations in israel and occupied east jerusalem were forced to shop a month later? any reporting within israel and water considered security issues must go through and military sensor is really monitors say more than $600.00 articles were censored last year alone, a reporting and so called administrative detention. a system that keeps thousands

of palestinians, including children detained without charges, is also heavily restricted. a point illustrated by the higher it's newspaper when it published, censored report, showing blacked, eye redacted text message that the world seizes this. i was petrified, petrified that the world will see, not just the consequences of it's terrific actions listening can it, does that. but also the very immediate way in which the israeli occupation she is teetering is also does not have significant control over any of its friends, right? now, the committee to protect journalist says the war on guys has been the most least or conflict for journalists on record and by country laws of itself as a beacon of democracy and press freedom. and is now further tightening restrictions on reporting freddie a car was a 0 for inside story. well that spring, you know

a guess today to discuss all of this and we have in ramallah, fatima abdul kind of in a veteran processing in june. this reporting for the christian science monitor and tele be buttons is a reporter for the independent these writing new site, local coal, i'm plus $97.00 to magazine. i'm in london. funeral o'brien is the u. k. director of reporters without borders. the international campaign to protect freedom of information and independent journalism. thank you for joining us today on the inside story. let me start with the closure of alex's eras. bureau in the westbank for you. oh no, i'm not followed. of course, i'll just there are being shut down our operations being stopped inside israel. what is your press freedom group? what is your reaction to this as well? obviously, we were really concerned and i told ready to see this this taking place. i should also say that we want shopped exactly because this isn't something that's happened

in a vacuum. this is just the latest step in the past and of really aggressive harassment of address ita in particular, but also of journalism and journalists much more widely in gaza in the occupied palestinian territories and in the region. and so yes, we were really horrified to see the events in the, in the office in the west bank, but it hasn't come out of nowhere. it's very much positive thoughts. and or, and why do you think that they decided to do this? now? they close the 0 offices inside 48 is well do it very clear that sooner sooner or later there we applied on the on also on the west. negative technically has a different lol. i think they did it because of the pressure for writing groups and the writing activists. and because they're not paying any price for sure. serving within the i was political based insight as well and internationally. it's not

causing any problems. and i think they don't want to, they want to extend the ben again and again and to prevent them to 0. and i think we can also, we cannot disconnected from the increased operation in the west bank in north and west bank in for caught him. janine and other cities and villages and the fact that the 0 and other journalist are covering their end up being a stuck in there and is little doesn't want discover to continue this coverage to continue faster. but is there a concern that in ramallah, but perhaps that trying to hide something, something that might be coming soon because we've already seen the biggest rage in the west bank since october the 7th this month. people consent to i think the concern is amongst journalists, but also amongst the population. this is a stuff up from what we have seen over the past years since the, the,

the closure of palestine television in east jerusalem 4 years ago. and on the words, the targeted a harassment of journalist that has reached the brazen atrocities across the west bank. so people are definitely concerned, but this is not just concealing reality or trying to prevent the coverage. this is also a step off that might reach further influential and coverage and media outlets to present in the palestinian narrative from be incurred and staying with you. first of all, what does it say about the state of the westbank right now? because under the also level codes and the 1990, there's supposed to be a policy and you know, sort of a that has all authority certainly. and what's known as area a, this was area a, does this just not prove now, but that really is total occupation and apartheid and in the west bank. this is

definitely a situation in which we can see clearly that the is riley military jurisdiction, can reach anywhere into any house, into an office and into any life in the west bank. we have seen this in separate kind of city in villages, a cities and refugee camps as are noted. the situation in the north has been dire and extremely violent, especially towards not just the civilian population. not only that, the refugees inside the refugee camps that are being severely hit, but also the journalist that are covering their we've seen videos of bulldozers running after and trying to harass the reporters. a on, on camera with their mikes, with their helmets and flak jackets clearly signed as press. we have seen soldiers and military vehicles trying to a harass and

a front. and i'm assuming journalists local reporters in those areas. so there's clearly something that is on a psychological level also trying to target the palestinians and depaula city and local reporters, especially inside inside the west bank. think it's very important to note that it's not just about the brazen atrocities that we have seen over the years, including us, but surely the, the 10 in golf, i would love a legendary accommodated a sitting of our clean as well as yes and what those are and garza and the one that i'm not leaving most as i and in addition to what, what we are seeing in, in guys, from prevention of journalists to cover and to work in, in a, during the war and prevention of for in the turn lists to,

from entering a garza and from doing their work, there is a complete crack down on journalist now in the west bank. and this has taken a step up by close the ink. uh eh, eh, and a such and influential tv station, a media outlet that has been informing palestinians on the world about what is happening in the west bank. feeling that perhaps we should of this point look at the, the legal aspect of it because journalist us specifically covered as i understand it on the article $79.00 of the additional protocol. one of the geneva conventions said it's this is an international law, but jealous should be allowed to go about that business and not be attacked. that's sorry, that's not a good thing. i've done this in a context and is a little crime. and i think as thoughts, most of the referred to,

the what's happened to us as either now has to be seen in the context of a whole raft of meshes. the israel has been taking again, it's done list journalism since upside. but last year and we've seen the killing of done this, we've seen the attacks on media outlets. we've seen imprisonments. we've seen harassments have done this. we've seen a bond on international janice being able to access gaza to report on what's going on. we've seen the use of, you know, the introduction of laws which the end of the sense of being done this. all of these things are about controlling the narrative about stuffing stories from getting out that the the um on yes, to opposite the right the it seems that in these target things, more crimes have been committed. our assess, we've submitted 3 complaints to the international criminal court since october last year detailing cases of john of this to we believe we have reason, reasonable evidence to suggest that the targeting of them was a little crime on. busy the ground statute, and we are documenting more cases all the time. so what's happening is on

a scale that we've not seen before, what's happening is spreading. you've heard about the escalation now in the west bank. what's happening is a really deliberate concert at a time to control the narrative and to stop doing this during that very important job and will 5 which is to document what's happening. but for, you know, that seems to be in tennessee, doesn't that here. i mean, you just had faxed them, it took about a colleague shooting blacklist that was back in 2022 when she was shot dead. clearly identified, wearing a press vest. and yes that was, she was an american citizen as well. and that was a little bit of criticism coming from the u. s. and yet nothing has been done. yes, absolutely. i start to by saying that, what happened is we kind of housing come out of nowhere. i just mentioned the, our site has filed 3 complaints to meet international criminal court since october last year. but that wasn't the 1st time we felt complaints to the international criminal court about as well as targeting. have done this. we filed

a complaint in 2018. another in 2021 about sniper attacks on jen, this about the targeting of media outlets and then we supported our associate as complaint to the i. c. c. in 2022. regarding the targeting or shooting. i'm okay. and as you say, even in cases selection in as well as the, is there any ministry accepts responsibilities with such an extent, in that case, apologize even for cutting? hi, there were no repercussions. there is absolute, some unity out of that sort of circumstance of immunity. if there is no, if there are no consequences, the ministry is unable to keep on. doing not israel is unable to keep on targeting john lis without the ends. and the culture of immunity is deep to worrying and has to change that all. who chronic pain commits is on it's for international legal institutions to step in and hold those responsible to account if you're new. i know you're a former reporter, but for us about an hour in coming reporters in the region. fatima,

of course it lives in the west bank or in goes that on his reporting duties. so i'd like to ask the 2 of you what, what, what is like actually working, what the difficulties are you going through check points. you're dealing with these really military also dealing with set close. why know a sometimes violent or just give us an idea when you were assessing out from tel aviv and heading into the west bank. well, you will thinking about what your preparations are and how, what you are and what you fear you might encounter, of course, is during the cold side easily i d have the privilege, not like my part of getting the colleagues to move in the most parts of it the territories and even if i get detained or stopped, i won't be dead in the military process like police can internalize that many of them were arrested in the 10 to pets and some of them are still hadn't admitted to detention. nowadays, i think it's in general, every time we cover events in occupied easters and in the west bank,

there's no single event that involves the easily forces that there's no fun violation of freedom of breath. something. it can be very small thing, it's quote unquote, like just preventing us to get to a single 5 dock or 2 to an area of course the to a set to month. and many times it can be bigger things during the process or classes can be targeting of during the shooting deal with the rubber consultant bullets and even a live edition. specifically, a group of journeys, mainly by the state insurance, but also few international and, and he's ready to join them. and this is despite the old ways we are marked, we suppressed with the elements we're the best. and it's a long policy we've seen for i've been a journalist for 2 decades. i've seen it since day one in the process, the against the war like covered 20 years ago. and since then, the army doesn't recognize the freedom of press when it comes to policy, is that in general, when it comes to the west,

westbank and is truth and they don't think their duty to protect your life and the opposite many times. this being their days to prevent a free coverage and to disturb it to so i mean, i'd like to ask you 1st about how things perhaps have changed since october the 7th, because i've done quite a few assignments to the region into the west bank in the past including the 2nd intifada, and yes, you will often treated pretty harshly, but normally a press called and wearing a press invest in the end you could get out of trouble. but you just look at the incident in the beginning of this month when a 26 year old took history, american women was killed that using live fun. now when there is no life fight against them. again, it's the question of impunity with no. impunity. violence has been spiraling up. it's part of the larger context in which palestinians are deprived from all over there. right? we're talking about right of free movement as journalist,

as palestinian during most local turn lists. we are subject to living in the west bank as well as in gaza, but also in the west bank. and in the past 1718 years. we are a, we have seen the past 17 or 18 years in which i has been working. as a journalist, i have seen how and there is no recognition of the policy in journalist or the right to a free coverage or free speech. people are now being arrested for facebook posts and just ideas. those sentences that can be interpreted as they wish under is really laws. and this means that palestinians who are subject to military law in the west bank cannot be differentiate. this cannot be seen as real journalists

are recognized as such. therefore, we don't have any freedom of movement to begin with when we don't have freedom of speech to begin with. and we don't, don't have a rice and we're not treated as journalists, therefore, anything else. stuff comes afterwards with our protective gear, with our identification, the, the, the training that we, we get as they can grow the safest possible positions is not tend think because this, this, impunity is allowing these rarely soldiers to spin key target the palestinians. this is what it's like for it becomes like the camera or the microphone or just the press a jacket is a code for harassment rather than a one for respect or stuff. think some boundaries. and for me personally,

i have seen those instead, you with ways in which i was treated, i'm on check points going through a maze of, of these check points that are, i'll send you milly, 18 and very violent as the payment for our hours. uh, it is a firing to your guys and a live rounds as well. as you mentioned, towards journalist specifically we try to come up with our own ways of dealing with, with the these situations by clustering, for example, around each other. and in order to stay safe and in order to be recognized. but this even is not helping. so without impunity. and without recognizing palestinian journalist, local journalist, a journalist as their peers, from israel and around the world, there would be no way that this for a freedom of press to under this occupation to continue or to flourish or to see

a free coverage. okay. fiona, if we look at the death toll in gaza, it's unprecedented if it's in the last year 202375 percent of the just killed in the entire world. died in gauze or, and of course, doing this of continued to die in large numbers since january. um, already the prosecutor, the international criminal court cream con, has brought some charges or wants to bring some charges. the court must decide arrest warrants for is riley leaders. do you think that specific offenses for killing sion this should be added? yeah, we very much too, and we have huts and we've been asking for this for quite a long time. i'd have had confirmation from the prosecutor cream con, that done this specific keeping included in his investigation into what's happening in palestine, which is encouraging. but it's really important that that's followed through

gentleness. i think it's really important to make the appointment. so can you hear about freedom of the price, but we need to think about why it says this isn't about protecting janice for the sake of protecting janice douglas on. you know, a, the, the life of a, john, this isn't more valuable than the life of any of the civilian. but john, this have a very important role to play in conflicts. the reason, but as well as targeting john, that's the reason the israel is stuffing international to unless from accessing cause. the reason as well as targeting media outlets and putting done listen, child and harassing john let to and listen to. one of the things which we've been talking about is so that it could control the narrative, installed reports and getting out. since the wells stopped people knowing exactly what's going to be happening, what's been happening and what, what is continuing to happen on the grounds in gaza and beyond the done this coding cause is absolutely horrifying. at least a 100. and so i teach on this have been killed since last october, and i see say that number continues to rise. and from all, i'm quite substantial. some investigations are assess. we've determined that at

least the see one of those seems to have been targeted. because that jenna, this are not just a bit of a co op in the around us, you know, sort of broad forming of civilians. but that they were talking to the either a well out working or specifically attack because of the edge of this. and so the, when they would load it in the end effect, or we have reasonable, we have reasonable grounds to think. so in the cold. yeah, i see to, to do is send him an independent investigation. john is beyond it says the aim is to make sure the world doesn't see what's going on. all is really seeing what's going on. and if not, it's not because of self self censorship by these writing media. or is that a fair degree of military sense to ship to getting on? so that's a good question. there is a military censorship in israel, but the vast majority of censorship instead of censorship by these are the major media that decided many years ago. but these increased instruct over transcends or, and just not to show that you studied probably what's happening gazda, of course,

he's wet of media like other media. and so we cannot access independently in regard to just on the embed, but they can show. so for me to put this, they can speak to people on the phone, they can use the agencies a, but they choose not to do it. and i think this is why they have a huge part in the fact that the easily society eating or it's on what's happening in the gaza. i could say that the average weight for you are in the u. s. or in europe watches made through media, even writing major media would know more about what's happening. yes. and then the average is rarely. and this is why the public, the general public was the cost. we surprised with the sanctions. we've seen it regarding the west bank with the opening the investigation by and didn't ask international court by the process across the campuses into us. because at least in the 1st month, the easily media was complete. the recruited to the where the war effort and didn't show anything from the horrific situation does the beginning of the video and the

destruction starvation and so on. so i said okay, so it's the human story is not getting out in israel. fatima if it come to you, um, in terms of international coverage, people are watching out, is it right here we cover this in depth, but there is a fair bit of criticism that israel has been putting pressure on editors complaining, complaining about anti semitism, which has resulted particularly in the us, in that israel, tainted coverage coverage. that is not a fad. where is facts that come from these really minute treat? oh sorry, information that comes from these arguments restrictions. it's packed well the information for palestinian sources is treated as suspect. we do share about that view. what i would like to say is that at the results of the systemic harassment of palestinian turned the list from local journalists and influential media outlets become a main reason for

a censorship. for are also controlling and limited inc restricting the ability of palestinian turned loose to report. therefore the voice and the reduction of the control over at this narrative. on the other hand, this and the prevention of access into cause a for example, and not allowing foreign journalists to enter the westman court to be given visas for example. this is also another big issue that a lot of um for in media is, is suffering from. this is all leading to more reliability on official sources. in the case of the p a and we don't see much presence in the case of the local authorities. we are not seeing much presence and lack of scope. the people is also affecting this. therefore, this void is being filled by is really officials,

is randy authorities. and this is indeed affecting a lot of the ability of journalists to hear, to see, to smell, to live the reality in, in dangerous situations. but also a but also the in their ability to actually get access to information that's, that's one of the main issues here to death is a lot that seriously restricting the ability of, of the palestinian story and the palestinian narrative to come out full. of course john is continue to report on this, including, and we think about doing this right now, reporting from lebanon science tool, i guess today, a fatima abdul karim organs. if i'm feeling abroad, keep watching out as ever for coverage of what are clearly false moving developments in the region. and you can find detailed analysis on ouch is over. don't com. and remember,

we'd like to hear from you to post your comments on our facebook page. that's facebook dot com, forward slash ha inside story on x. find is at a jack inside story from me. james, based on the team here in bo. huh. please stay safe and well buy some of the i did get an idea of the french republic, his long proclaimed, but just what is more than friends in a full pot series, the big picture takes an in depth, not from the same size episode 3 analogies here the

government challenges here, where the

is riley strikes, kill nearly 500 people and 11 on in the deadliest day of cross border conflicts and almost 2 decades. the color line sort of fight. this is all just there a life from the hospital. so coming off on the program, same kind of across the 11 on thousands of people, 3 waves of his ready will kids of time, the hezbollah fine is

dozens of rockets into is ralph this is randy defense systems in to set. most of them.