The Electronic Intifada
Mahmoud Abbas decrees sweeping internet speech restrictions
Charlotte Silver Rights and Accountability 9 August 2017
Decree by PA leader Mahmoud Abbas imposes fines, prison and hard labor on
Palestinians who violate "public manners" or harm "social harmony" with
online comments.
(Wisam Hashlamoun / APA images)
Palestinian media and human rights groups are calling on the Palestinian
Authority to suspend the new "Electronic Crimes" law that critics say is a
sweeping attack on the right to free expression and privacy.
Meanwhile, an Israeli minister is facing difficulties in his effort to shut
down Al Jazeera.
The law was approved in secrecy by PA leader Mahmoud Abbas on 24 June.
Without any public discussion, it reportedly went into effect just two weeks
later.
Groups including the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, the Independent
Committee for Human Rights and the Palestinian Center for Development and
Media Freedoms (MADA), have all denounced the law, warning it will further
erode Palestinians' rights.
Social Media Exchange, a group that monitors laws that affect digital rights
in the Arab world, translated the most troubling parts of Abbas' decree.
It stipulates that acts online that harm "national unity" or "social
harmony" will be punishable by hard labor for three to 15 years.
The law allows for anyone to be imprisoned for one year and fined up to
$7,000 for violating "public manners" online.
It requires internet service providers to cooperate with Palestinian
intelligence agencies, and collect, store and share user information.
It also empowers the PA attorney general to block any website and allows the
public prosecutor "to monitor and record online communications" deemed
"necessary for investigations."
Writing for Global Voices, digital rights researcher Marwa Fatafta reports
that the law extends to Palestinians living abroad, though it is not clear
how it would be enforced on people outside the occupied West Bank.
PA crackdown on journalists
Both Israel and the Palestinian Authority, which work together closely to
control the Palestinian population under military occupation, already jail
Palestinians for their postings on social media.
The decree's enactment comes as the PA oversees a wave of press violations
including arrests for statements made on social media.
At the beginning of June, the Palestinian Authority arrested 23-year-old
Nassar Jaradat for posting on his Facebook page a call for a "people's
revolution" against the Fatah leadership - Abbas' political faction.
This week, PA intelligence agencies in the occupied West Bank arrested four
journalists from several local outlets, accusing them of "leaking sensitive
information."
Speaking at a recent forum of groups concerned about the new decree, Mousa
Rimawi, the director of MADA, noted that the PA's press violations exceeded
Israel's in June and that authorities have blocked access to 29 news
websites that belong to political critics.
Trouble with Al Jazeera
Meanwhile, Israel's communications minister Ayoub Kara is running into
difficulties as he moves forward with his promise to shut down Al Jazeera's
Jerusalem bureau.
Following in the footsteps of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states that have
mounted a campaign against Qatar and its media network, Kara and Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have accused Al Jazeera of "incitement"
and vowed to shut it down.
Amnesty International has called Israel's attempt to shut down Al Jazeera a
"chilling message that Israeli authorities will not tolerate critical
coverage."
"This is a brazen attack on media freedom in Israel and the occupied
Palestinian territories," Magdalena Mughrabi, Amnesty's deputy Middle East
and North Africa director, said in a statement on Monday.
But the Tel Aviv newspaper Haaretz reports that Kara is meeting resistance
as he attempts to shutter the network in Israel, starting with his request
that the Government Press Office revoke the credentials of Al Jazeera
journalists.
According to Haaretz, the Government Press Office does not have the
authority to revoke press credentials. Israeli security agencies would have
to first make the recommendation on the basis that Al Jazeera would
"endanger national security."
"I have contacted these agencies, asking for a professional opinion
regarding Al Jazeera," said Government Press Office director Nitzan Chen,
who noted that credentials will not be revoked without an "an orderly
hearing, as specified by regulations."
Kara has asked broadcast companies for help, but they have so far failed to
express any willingness to remove Al Jazeera from their service.
He has also asked public security minister Gilad Erdan for assistance, but
Erdan referred him to the Israeli police, who sent Kara back to the public
security ministry.
This leaves Kara with the option to try to pass an amendment to the law, a
process that would not begin until the fall.
Bending over backwards
During Israel's regular attacks on Gaza, including the last major one three
years ago that killed more than 2,200 Palestinians, Al Jazeera has regularly
provided Israeli officials with air time to justify their lethal attacks on
Palestinians.
Amid the recent increase in tension around the al-Aqsa mosque compound in
Jerusalem, Al Jazeera's Arabic channel interviewed Yoav Mordechai, the
Israeli military officer who governs the occupied West Bank.
Despite the network extensively providing Israel with a platform, Kara
remains committed to shutting Al Jazeera down, stating: "The safety of our
citizens and their well-being supersedes freedom of expression during times
of terror."
"The freedom of expression is not the freedom to incite and foment strife,"
he added. "Even democracy has its limits."
