According to a local syndicate on Monday, 55 Palestinian journalists have been killed by Israeli forces since 2000, according to Anadolu News Agency.
Naser Abu Baker, the head of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS), stated at a press conference in Ramallah, West Bank, that “fifty-five reporters have been killed, either by Israeli fire or bombardment, since 2000.” Shireen Abu Akleh, an anchor for Al Jazeera, was one of the two journalists killed by Israeli forces in 2022, he added.
The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that Abu Akleh, a 51-year-old Palestinian-American journalist, was shot in the head while covering an Israeli military raid in the West Bank city of Jenin on May 11. The reporter, according to the Israeli army, was most likely killed by “wrong” gunfire from an Israeli soldier.
After conducting their own investigations, a number of prestigious news organizations, including Al Jazeera, CNN, Associated Press, Washington Post, and the New York Times, came to the same conclusion: Abu Akleh was killed by an Israeli bullet.
Jerusalem, according to Abu Baker, has been the scene of the most Israeli attacks on Palestinian journalists. These attacks, he continued, “are meant to stop journalists from reporting the truth about the threats to Christian and Islamic holy sites.”
Without going into further detail, Abu Baker stated that the PJS is taking action to refer the Israeli attacks against journalists to the International Criminal Court. Twenty of the 40 Palestinian journalists detained by Israeli Forces last year, according to Mohammad Al-Lahham, Head of the PJS’s Freedoms Committee, are still in prison.
The Israeli authorities made no comments in response to the report. Israeli forces killed 224 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza last year, according to Palestinian statistics.
130 Imprisoned Palestinian Journalists
According to a local NGO on Saturday, Israel has detained 130 Palestinian journalists in 2022, 20 of whom are still in its custody. Palestinian journalists were subjected to 36 Israeli violations in December, according to a statement from the Prisoner Information Office.
‘More than 130 journalists were detained in 2022 in a flagrant violation of all international laws and norms that guarantee the freedom of opinion and expression,’ the statement read. It continued, “Israel continues to hold 20 journalists, including Jerusalemite reporter Mahmoud Issa, who has been held since 1993.
The Journalist Support Committee, based in Beirut, claimed that Israeli forces injured 13 Palestinian reporters in December. In a statement, it added, “Journalists were repeatedly attacked by Israeli occupation forces and settlers.”
Palestinians observe December. Palestinian Journalist Day is celebrated on January 31 in honor of their contribution to the support of national and Palestinian rights.
3,000 Palestinians arrested in 2022
As part of what the occupation has dubbed operation “Breaking Waves,” Israeli occupation forces have detained over 3,000 Palestinians in 2022. According to the occupation forces, 500 arms were seized and 14 weapons workshops were shut down. The theft of 2.8 million shekels ($0.8 million) was also reported by Arab48.
It happens in the midst of an increase in Israeli settler attacks in the occupied West Bank over the past few months, during which unauthorized settlers have occasionally even turned against Israeli forces. More than 150 Palestinians, including 33 children, have been killed in the occupied territory this year alone. This makes 2022 the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since 2005, according to the UN.
