Palestinian Authority Accused of Suppressing Media Freedoms With New Legislation
The law could undermine international treaties the Palestinian Authority is obligated to uphold and violate constitutional protections for press rights
Palestinian civil society organizations sounded the alarm over proposed Palestinian Authority (PA) legislation regulating publishing, press, and media.
Over 20 NGOs published a statement saying the proposed law, “drafted and prepared in secrecy,” represents “a clear violation” of international treaties that “Palestine has signed and is bound by.”
The proposed bill seeks to restrict speech and prevent journalists from reporting on issues reflecting negatively on the PA’s leadership.
According to the NGOs, the draft legislation is “full of ambiguous terms” that give the executive “discretionary powers” to “restrict media freedoms, prosecute and penalize journalists.” These include terms such as “civil peace,” “the historical Palestinian narrative,” and “disturbing relations between states.”
Observers in Ramallah warned that some of the provisions would prevent journalists from doing their jobs.
The Palestinian government desires more control
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Ahmad Rafiq Awad, a professor at Al-Quds University, told The Media Line that these provisions “represent a constitutional violation of the principles stipulated in the amended Palestinian Basic Law, regarding media and press rights and freedoms, and freedom of opinion and expression.”
Awad said the proposed legislation allowed the PA to “interfere in the work of the private sector” by requiring government authorization for media financing.
“The Palestinian government desires more control,” Awad said, explaining that the Israeli occupation “has demands and conditions.” In addition, the Palestinian leadership wants to control the flow of information over the “internal Palestinian political dispute between Fatah and Hamas.”
Freedom of expression, Awad says, is vital, as it is a “source of strength for all.”
The proposed legislation empowers the PA’s Information Ministry, backed by the security establishment, to control media and press institutions, research institutions, and news sites, by forcing them to apply for a government license.
The proposed legislation would require local and foreign journalists and media workers to seek PA accreditation, “which represents a flagrant violation of the freedom of trade union organizations and the role of the journalists’ syndicate,” opening the door to manipulation by Palestinian security forces.
US-based Palestinian affairs expert Hasan Awwad told The Media Line that the proposed law is one of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas’ “attempts to tighten his grip on power amidst domestic tension and political changes.”
PA President Abbas “knows his popularity is low and that his security forces’ grip” is slipping. As a result, Awwad said, Abbas feels “he must take such steps to reassert control.”
Last June, the PA’s prosecutor questioned two leading anti-corruption activists, Azmi Shuaibi and Isam Haj-Hussein, on suspicion of slander and defamation after publishing a report accusing officials close to Abbas of corruption in a case relating to the production of dates in Jewish West Bank settlements.
Majed Al-Arouri, executive director of the National Commission for the Independence of the Judiciary and Rule of Law, told The Media Line that the PA hopes to use the new law to “subjugate media outlets” and bring them under the control of “influential parties” in the Palestinian political system.
Palestinians have criticized Abbas’ decrees in the past, accusing the 87-year-old leader of turning the PA into an autocratic regime.
