Palestinian Journalists' Daily Struggle Under Opression

By Nur Ashikin Abdul Aziz KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 10 (Bernama) -- Working under threats of Israeli attacks and imprisonment on a daily basis are some of the routines for a journalist in Palestine. Yaser Abu Heen, Editor in Chief of the Palestinian Press Agency (SAFA), said during the Jerusalem unrest in 2014, more than 17 journalists were killed and 24 media institutions destroyed by the Israelis. Currently more than 19 journalists are being held in Israeli prisons and some "are nearing death", he told Bernama, during a recent visit to the news agency's headquarters here. The former Head of Gaza Journalists Union himself was imprisoned in 2004 for one and a half years in what he described as "physical and psychological torture" by the Israeli forces. The invasion that year, also killed three of his brothers and destroyed their home. "I was really undergoing a hard time then. In 2014, my home was targeted again. My father was killed. A journalist cousin was also murdered," he said. However, there was nothing to stop Yaser who became a journalist in 1999 because he believed the job provided him a good platform in serving the Palestinians under Israeli occupation though there was tight control of the media in the territory. A VERY IMPORTANT JOB Wesam Ibrahim Afifa the General Manager of Al-Resalah Media Institution is all too familiar with Yaser's story. He himself was imprisoned from 1992-1993. "I became a journalist after graduating from Gaza's Islamic University in 1997, but the beginnings of my writings started when I was in Israeli detention," he said. He described his over 20-year experience in the field as "not easy but a very important job". What more, Wesam's office was bombed twice in 2001 and 2012. His worst experience was losing one journalist friend in 2012, in a bombing incident. "Nevertheless, this profession has remained important because it is part of the Palestinian struggle and it helps to convey our voices to the world," Wesam said. LIMITED RESOURCES Apart from the dangers, Palestinian journalists also have to put up with limited resources including electricity and internet access. "Electricity is only available for four hours a day. So, within that limited time we need to write, publish and print our news. Having our printing machines either confiscated or destroyed by the Israeli forces is also another setback for us. "Then, there's the issue of internet, as it is not available in all parts of Palestine," he said, adding that the internet is only available in 2G which is slow, less reliable and less secure. "Journalists in Palestine never know of the fate that awaits them everyday. As being in their office makes them an easy target, the journalists prefer to be on the move and this is why internet availability is important," Wesam said. POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA Despite of the oppression under Israeli occupation, Yaser and Wesam vowed to never stop telling the world the real stories of the Palestinian sufferings and their success. This is when the power of social media comes to play. Iyad Ebrahim Al-Qarra, General Manager of Felesteen newspaper, highlighted that the social media platform is very important in helping to get the stories out to the world and create awareness on the issues. All three media organisations have a huge following on media social. For example Felesteen's Facebook page has over 2 million followers while SAFA has over 1 million Facebook followers. Besides that, a visit to other countries or media organisations such as Bernama is part of the effort to tell the "Palestine stories from the eyes of the Palestinians", especially since the opportunity to leave Gaza only happens once in a blue moon. In their final remarks, all three journalists paid tribute to Malaysia's continuous support to the Palestinian cause and welcomed Malaysian journalists to Palestine to experience and report the happenings in their country. -- BERNAMA