Palestinian journalists can be “punished” by the Palestinian Authority, according to a senior figure in the PA.
The admission came after the director general of the PA State Information Service (SIS) Dr. Riyad Al-Hassan initially denied that the PA censors journalists.
“I believe that in the Palestinian territories there is no censorship at all; not even if it comes to the safety and welfare of the Palestinian people,” said Al-Hassan. “This doesn’t mean that there are no Palestinian governmental procedures against some journalists or newspapers if these parties are going behind the line,” he added after a while.
Pressed to explain “governmental procedures,” Al-Hassan responded: “Sometimes a little punishment, [laughter] sometimes.”
Click here [1] to listen to Al-Hassan’s comments.
The State Information Service (SIS) is the Palestinian governmental institution responsible for media and information.
This interview is part of TML research for an upcoming news feature on the way Israel and the PA operate in the realms of media and communications.