[Well, there seems to be one clear area of coordinated policy between Israel and the Palestinian Authority remains severe restrictions on press coverage of the events that are about to unfold in the “disengagement” process – db]

31.07.05

An expanded board attended a meeting this afternoon hosted by the IDF, GPO and the Foreign Ministry. At the meeting, significant reductions in access and stringent new controls were issued. Here is a summary:

Contrary to earlier indications, the Israeli authorities have told us that they are willing to permit far fewer members the right to stay inside settlements than we had earlier been led to expect.

They have also clarified the strict conditions under which members would be allowed to stay. These are:

Once inside after August 15, those few journalists will not be allowed to leave the settlement where they are staying until it is evacuated.

There will be absolutely no movement between settlements, which will be encircled by troops, For example a journalist staying in Neve Dekalim will not be allowed to go to Gadid nearby.

Journalists will not be allowed to keep any vehicles – including satellite trucks.

Equipment they cannot carry themselves will be brought out by the army in a single container for all journalists

The army wants members to submit detailed lists of journalists who would like to stay — together with job functions, addresses, passport details and GPO card numbers. These updated are to be submitted through the FPA.

The army will then decide how many will be allowed to stay in each settlement. This could depend on the number of settlers who remain. A decision would be expected between August 10 and 14.

The army suggested that five to seven journalists in total might be allowed for each settlement – with the exception of Neve Dekalim, where more might be permitted.

Journalists would have to provide their own accommodation in agreement with the settlers.

All those members found to be living in settlements after midnight of August 14 without permission, they said, would face prosecution and unspecified other sanctions which could affect the future operations of news organizations in Israel.

We have demanded that the authorities publish a document specifying these rules and the sanctions that anyone might face for disobeying them.

The authorities also outlined a reduced shuttle service of only one bus a day to each settlement being evacuated. This would leave pre-dawn with evacuating forces as part of a convoy including two satellite trucks for AP and Reuters. There would only be between 10 and 15 places for members aboard each bus. Israeli journalists would get up to 30 places aboard the same bus.

This shuttle will remain at the site for as long as it takes to evacuate the settlement and this could be overnight. Members should consider taking provisions with them. The only other shuttles now being mentioned might include two others each day – not to the settlements being evacuated, but only to those awaiting evacuation or already evacuated.

The question of access within the Eshkol region and especially to the Kissufim live position remains unsolved. Again, the IDF have asked for detailed lists for access to the “live” positions.

The FPA strongly protested this limited and controlled access. We have asked both the IDF and the GPO for a commitment that there will be no additional private deals with media organizations, making a mockery of the above requirements for those of us submitting to these draconian demands. We have already learnt that some such deals are in the works.

“PA coverage restriction ires journalists”
Khaled Abu Toameh, THE JERUSALEM POST July 31, 2005

In a move condemned by Palestinian journalists as a threat to the free media, the Palestinian Authority on Saturday issued a ban on the publication of any news related to its security forces.

The PA Interior Ministry, which is in charge of the security forces, said the ban applied to local, Arab and international news organizations working in Palestinian territories.

It said the decision was taken “out of concern for the public interest and in line with national and professional responsibilities.” According to the ministry, journalists who want to cover stories related to the PA security forces will be required to fill out a special form and seek prior permission from the ministry officials.

The ban follows complaints by some Palestinians that the PA security forces are partly responsible for the growing state of lawlessness and anarchy in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Tawfik Abu Khoussa, spokesman for the ministry, said the decision came after some newspapers and TV stations published “inaccurate and incorrect” details about the Palestinian security forces.

“This has happened many times recently and the information was not based on official sources,” he argued. “Some of the reports have caused damage to the security services and the police and almost resulted in confrontations with the people.”

Abu Khoussa, who previously served as deputy chairman of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate in the Gaza Strip, dismissed allegations that the new instructions were a breach of the freedom of the press.

“We don’t want to impose censorship on the media or restrict the work of journalists,” he said.

“We only want to make sure that the reports about our security forces are true and accurate. We want to put an end to rumors and attempts to defame the security forces.”

The PA’s Ministry of Information expressed “astonishment” at the ban and said it was opposed to the decision. Deputy Minister of Information Ahmed Suboh said the ministry was against such restrictions and would inform the Interior Ministry of its position.

Palestinian journalists expressed deep concern at the latest decision, saying it was yet another sign of the PA’s attempts to tighten its grip on the local media.

“This decision contradicts [PA Chairman Mahmoud] Abbas’s promise to work toward a free and independent media,” a prominent Palestinian journalist in Gaza City told The Jerusalem Post.

“Every day we hear about a new measure restricting the work of journalists.

The Palestinian Authority wants to turn us into its official spokesmen.”

Another journalist from Ramallah said he and many of his colleagues are under increased pressure from the PA to stop reporting on stories that “reflect negatively” on the Palestinian leadership.

“There is a feeling here that there is no difference between Yasser Arafat and Abu Mazen [Abbas],” he said. “Abu Mazen is imposing severe restriction on the media just like Arafat.”

Last week the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, which is controlled by Abbas loyalists, issued a warning to all journalists to refrain from reporting on clashes between Hamas gunmen and PA security forces in Gaza City. It warned that any journalist who violated the ban would be punished for harming the Palestinians’ national interests.

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