Hamas orders television program off air

John Smith - IMEMC & agencies. 3/08/07. The Hamas movement on Tuesday ordered a Gaza television station to halt its broadcasting of a political affairs program, a move that has incurred the anger of the Gaza union of Journalists. The weekly program “Red Line” is broadcast by Palestine Television, a station that recently moved to an alternative broadcast site after Hamas established control over its main facility several weeks ago. The Deputy Minister of Information in Gaza, Hassan Abu Hasheesh, stated that the ban was not implemented because of the content of the program, but because the station “ignored the government in Gaza to which it must report.” The station has refused to acknowledge the authority of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Chairman of the Palestinian Journalists’ syndicate Tawfiq Abu Khoussa characterized the action as a serious “suppression of press and media freedoms.”

Deposed Hamas government investigating attacks on press freedom

Gaza - Ma'an – 31/07/07. The deposed Hamas government said Tuesday that it is taking action against members of their security forces who blocked the delivery of the major Palestinian newspapers to the Gaza Strip.

Abu Hashish, Undersecretary in the deposed ministry of information said that the government does not condone the actions of the Executive Forces in this case. He stressed that individual commanders in the Executive Forces, not the government, were responsible, and that his ministry is working to sanction the perpetrators.

The Executive Forces met widespread condemnation for preventing deliveries of Al Ayyam, Al Quds, and Al Hayyat Al Jadeedah newspapers in the Strip Monday, allegedly because they printed defamatory articles about Hamas. There were also reports that Executive Forces troops stormed news paper offices in Gaza.