Special to WorldTribune.com

RAMALLAH — The Palestinian Authority, despite appeals from Western
donors, continues its crackdown on the media in the West Bank.

PA security forces have been arresting Palestinian journalists on
charges of insulting chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Opposition sources said the
arrests were conducted by the Preventive Security Apparatus and General
Intelligence Security.

“PCHR calls upon the government and the security services in Ramallah to respect the freedom of the press and the right to freedom of opinion and expression, which are guaranteed under the Palestinian Basic Law and international human rights standards,” the Palestinian Center for Human Rights said.

In May, the organization reported the detention of a Palestinian
journalist, Omar Abu Arqoub. PCHR said Abu Arqoub, who lives in a village near Hebron, was arrested by GIS and interrogated by PSA. The 24-year-old has anchored a program on Al Rayah radio.

Abu Arqoub was summoned by GIS for an investigation in Hebron on May 11, and the following day was summoned by PSA. PSA was said to have interrogated him on his interviews with prisoners released by Israel.

“At noon, a member of PSS confiscated his laptop and a portable hard
drive from his house,” the center said. “Abu Arqoub stated that the
interrogators had forced him to provide them with the passwords of his
e-mail and Facebook accounts.”

The PA also arrested another Palestinian journalist, identified as
Haroun Abu Arrah. Abu Arrah, a film producer who lives in Ramallah, was
detained by GIS and asked about comments he made on Facebook.

“The interrogation lasted for two-and-a-half hours after which I was
released without knowing why I had been summoned in the first place,” Abu
Arrah said.

Days later, Abu Arrah was again arrested and spent 10 days in solitary
confinement. He said the PA was pressuring his employer to fire him.

  Abu Arqoub, Palestinian Authority arrests journalists critical of Abbas despite ‘guaranteed’ rights, Palestinian Center for Human Rights, Preventive Security Apparatus