37 Israeli violations against Palestinian journalists in 2013

Mohammad Lahham, head of the freedoms committee in the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, said that the syndicate documented 237 violations against Palestinian journalists working in the West Bank, Jerusalem, Gaza, as well as against journalists working with foreign satellite channels in different locations around the world during the year 2013.During a press conference held by the committee at the Union’s headquarters at al-bereh, near Ramallah, where they presented excerpts of its annual report on violations against journalists in 2013, Lahham said that the violations of the Israeli authorities was the highest against journalists; 56 journalists were shot and injured, 38 were injured by tear gas suffocation, where in some cases canisters were deliberately fired directly toward journalists, in addition to 22 cases that were injured by acoustic bombs, reported the Palestinian news agency Wafa.He said that the Israeli authorities have prevented journalists from covering 67 events, physically assaulted 45 journalists, and arrested 30 others as well as barred four journalists from traveling.The committee documented 49 violations against media freedom in the West Bank, varying between summons for interrogation, detention and denial of coverage.The committee, in its report, called to seek the international bodies’ pressure on Israel to stop its violations against journalists, to increase the unions and human rights activities for journalists, to form human rights alliances for the protection of journalists, to continue to monitor and document all violations, and called for new law updates relating to media.