Hamas militiamen Monday prevented distribution of three Fatah-affiliated newspapers in the Gaza Strip and briefly detained the local agents of the dailies. This is the first time that the newspapers published in the West Bank were prevented from being distributed in the Gaza Strip, according to reports.
Palestinian journalists said thousands of copies from the three newspapers were seized by Hamas's paramilitary Executive Force on the Palestinian side of the Erez border crossing, the Jerusalem Post reported. The newspapers were taken aboard a truck to a Hamas security installation nearby in the town of Beit Hanan.
Six Palestinians working for the newspapers were detained by Hamas for questioning. Two of them, Hatem Kishawi and Samir Jaber, work for the Fatah-controlled Al-Ayyam, which serves as a mouthpiece for the Palestinian Authority. The other four work for the PA-funded Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda and Al-Quds, a pro-Fatah newspaper owned by a family from east Jerusalem, the Post report said.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) accused the Hamas group of "flagrant violation of press freedom" after militants seized Palestinian newspapers. IFJ joined the protests of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate which condemned the seizure near the Beit Hanoon crossing of the Palestinian newspapers.
"The seizure of newspapers by political activists is a flagrant violation of journalists rights and press freedom," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "It flies in the face of respect for democracy which Hamas tries to present to the outside world."
IFJ supported the comments of Naim Toubassi, President of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate and a member of the IFJ Executive Committee who said the action aggravates the already difficult situation in the region.
"The political crisis is made worse when violence and censorship replaces the peoples' right to know," said White. "This is the latest example of intimidation and pressure on journalism."
IFJ says that since the Hamas takeover of Gaza there has been targeting of media and journalists, the offices of the Syndicate have been raided and some journalists have had to flee for their lives. Nevertheless, IFJ is supporting efforts to strengthen the rights of journalists in the area and has launched a programme of work to help the Syndicate develop its activities.
"It's time for the Hamas leadership to end this pressure on journalists and to return to some version of pluralism and respect for free expression that will allow space for peace and reconciliation among Palestinians," said White.
