Colombia Journalism Review points to press freedom in Gaza despite Paul Martin arrest

Paul Martin, the UK journalist arrested in Gaza nearly two weeks ago, has still not been released. He was to be a witness at the forthcoming trial of an alleged collaborator. The article snippet below from the prestigious Colombia Journalism Review makes the point of arguing that Hamas has been up until now at least fairly hands off with the international media. It is hoped that these press freedoms will not be undermined by further detentions of journalists doing their job.

The Perils of Reporting from Gaza

Gaza journalists hopeful that press freedoms will persist

By Ashley Bates

On February 14 in the Gaza Strip, Hamas arrested Paul Martin, a British documentary filmmaker, on suspicions that Martin had “committed offenses against Palestinian law… that harms the security of the country.” Martin was about to testify on behalf of a Palestinian militant who had been accused of collaborating with Israel.

Martin’s arrest and continued detention has raised new concerns about the safety and freedom of foreign journalists working in Gaza. In recent years, these journalists have contended with unusual pressures, including meddling from Hamas security forces, Israeli prohibitions on their entry into Gaza and the danger of getting caught in the crossfire between opposing sides.

Hamas generally does not aggressively interfere with the press—a policy that some analysts see as an effort to improve its reputation in the West. After Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, it helped secure the release of Alan Johnson, a British journalist kidnapped and held for 114 days by a militant group called the Army of Islam.

“[Hamas] has never done anything to me directly,” said Erin Cunningham, who has reported from Gaza for multiple American publications. “If I’m out with my camera, they want to know who I am, where I’m from, why I’m shooting, but normally it works out….[By arresting Paul Martin], I think Hamas has crossed a line that presents a danger for the journalists working here.”

more

Comments

'Coronavirus-free' Gaza prepares for the worst

Until now, the besieged Gaza Strip has stayed free of the novel coronavirus spreading across the world. As the Gaza Strip has been under a stringent Israeli-led blockade for nearly 13 years, the spread of the coronavirus - officially known as COVID-19 - has become the topic of discussion for many Palestinians, with some joking that the blockade was preventing them from being exposed.But as authorities in the coastal Palestinian enclave gear up to contain any potential outbreak, serious questions have arisen about the risks and implications of such a scenario. But given its already difficult humanitarian situation and high population density, an outbreak in the Gaza Strip could prove to be catastrophic, health officials have warned. "If the virus enters Gaza and spreads, it will get out of hand," Gaza Ministry of Health spokesperson Majdi Thuhair told Middle East Eye, as he explained that a severe shortage of resources and personnel would make it near impossible

Boycott of New York diamond dealer launched to protest settlement construction

Members of Adalah NY call for boycott of Leviev for its crimes against Palestinians and South Africans New York, NY, May 9 – On the day before Mother’s Day, 40 New York human rights advocates gathered at the Leviev jewelry store on Madison Avenue and called on throngs of weekend Madison Avenue shoppers to boycott Israeli diamond mogul Lev Leviev over his companies’ construction of Israeli settlements on Palestinian land in West Bank villages including Bil’in and Jayyous. Mother’s Day is one of the biggest jewelry shopping periods in the US annually. The New York protest came as controversy is growing in Norway over Norwegian government investments in Leviev’s company Africa-Israel . The New York protesters also commemorated Bassem Abu Rahma from Bil’in who was shot to death by Israeli soldiers last month during a peaceful protest against the construction on Bil’in’s land of Israel’s wall and of the Mattityahu East settlement by a Leviev company. Thanks to vivapalestina.us (not co

Support striking Palestinian quarry workers demanding their rights from Israeli employer

On 16 June, 35 Palestinian workers at Salit Quarries in Mishor Adumim (in area C, east of Jerusalem, in the Occupied West Bank) began a strike. The workers, organized with the independent union WAC-Ma'an, are demanding an end to exploitation and humiliation, and insist on signing a first collective agreement. Salit Quarries’ main customer is Readymix Industries (Israel). The total reliance of Salit Quarry on Readymix as their biggest and by far the most important customer puts responsibility on Readymix to make sure that their clients abides by labour laws and safeguards elementary rights for the workers of Salit. We call upon Readymix to urge the Salit management to terminate this unnecessary strike by signing the collective agreement with the workers and WAC-Ma’an. Click this protest link to send your message. The text of the message is as follows: I write to you to express my grave concern about the failure of Salit management to sign a collective agreement with the workers of

Search iGaza