The state of human rights in the West Bank and Gaza Strip is determined by Palestinian as well as Israeli policies, which affect Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories both directly and indirectly, through their influence over the Palestinian Authority (PA).Le More, Anne. International Assistance to the Palestinians After Oslo: Political Guilt, Wasted Money. N.p., Taylor & Francis, 2008. Based on The Economist Democracy Index this state is classified as an authoritarian regime.
Status of freedom, political rights and civil liberties
Rights and Liberties Ratings At the Economist Intelligence Unit (Democracy Index) rankings, the highest index reports most democracy. Of the 167 countries participated in the ranking, North Korea was worst (index 1.08) and Norway was best (index 9.87). Palestine ranked 117th, with an index of 3.89. Freedom House's annual survey of political rights and civil liberties, Freedom in the World 2001–2002, reported that civil liberties declined in Palestine "due to the shooting deaths of Palestinian civilians by Palestinian security personnel; the summary trials and executions of alleged collaborators by the Palestinian Authority (PA), extrajudicial killings of suspected collaborators by militias; and apparent official encouragement of Palestinian youths to confront Israeli soldiers, thus placing them directly in harm's way." The Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group reports "everyday disagreements and clashes between the various political factions, families and cities that a complete picture of Palestinian society is painted. These divisions have during the course of the al Aqsa Intifada also led to an increasingly violent 'Intra'fada'."
Individual freedoms and rights
Freedom of speech The PA has guaranteed freedom of assembly to the Palestinian population, and its legislation states this. Nevertheless, the right to demonstrate for opponents of the PA regime or of PA policy has become increasingly subject to police control and restriction and is a source of concern for human rights groups.
Activists say there is a growing crackdown on writers who criticize the Palestinian Government. According to executive director of Advancing Human Rights David Keyes, in 2013, Anas Awwad, a 26-year-old Palestinian activist, was sentenced in absentia by a Palestinian court in Nablus, the West Bank, to one year in prison for "extending his tongue" against the Palestinian Authority's president, Mahmoud Abbas, on Facebook. Keyes also states that in 2012, Palestinian blogger Jamal Abu Rihan was arrested by the Palestinian Authority for starting a Facebook campaign called the People Want an End to Corruption. He was indicted under the charges of "extending his tongue" against the Palestinian leadership.
In April 2012, a West Bank university lecturer, Ismat Abdul-Khaleq, was arrested for criticizing Abbas on Facebook. Subsequently, agents belonging to the PA's Preventive Security Service in Ramallah arrested Tarek Khamis, who works for the Palestinian Zaman Press news agency. He was detained for criticizing the Palestinian Authority's treatment of Abdul-Khaleq and for criticizing the clampdown on journalists in the West Bank. According to David Keyes, George Canawati, the director of a Bethlehem radio station and journalist Rami Samar were detained for posting criticisms of the Palestinian Authority on Facebook.
Death threats were made against Minister Nabil Shaath for planning to participate in a conference in Italy attended by Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom by the Jenin Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees. They declared, "He will be sentenced to death if he enters. The decision cannot be rescinded, we call upon his bodyguards to abandon his convoy in order to save their lives."
Nabil Amar, former Minister of Information and a cabinet member and a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, was shot by masked gunmen after criticizing Arafat and calling for reforms in the PA in a television interview.
A Hamas-run council in the West Bank came under international criticism in 2005 for barring an open-air music and dance festival, on the basis of being "against Islam".
February 2016, Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor has issued report documenting freedom of expression violations in both West Bank and Gaza Strip. The Euro-Med report, "Strangulation Twice: the Oppressive Practices of Palestinian Security Services", documents 1,274 arbitrary detentions in the West Bank in 2015 and 1,089 summonses to appear in front of the police or "interior security". Most of these actions by the Palestinian Authority targeted individuals affiliated with Hamas or who opposed PA policies. In Gaza, 117 arbitrary detentions and 98 orders to appear were attributed last year to Hamas, which governs the Strip. Like their PA counterparts, the security forces primarily targeted political opponents. The monitor said that the number of human rights violations committed by PA authorities in the West Bank were significantly greater than those for which Hamas was responsible. However, both organizations are guilty of censorship and oppression. The Euro-Med monitor called both sides, the PA and Hamas, to issue a clear and binding resolution mandating freedom of expression and prohibiting all forms of abusive detention.
In August 2016, Human Rights Watch published a report about Palestine discussing the freedom of expression in the Palestinian territories. The international organization documented the case of Majd Khawaja, 22, who was arrested by security forces at intelligence headquarter. Khawaja was accused of painting the word (intifada) uprising on a wall, having weapons and planning to smuggle people into Jordan. He was subjected to physical torture during interrogation. He published some songs about the corruption of the PA which considered as a criminal offense; The songs were removed from YouTube.
August 2016, Human Rights Watch published a report about Palestine discussing the freedom of expression in the Palestinian territories. The international organization documented the case of Mutaz Abu Lihi, 21, who was arrested by security forces at intelligence headquarter according to court documents, the Palestinian prosecution charged Abu Lihi and his rappers fellows with creating strife, under article 150 of penal code, and criticizing a higher authority, under article 195. The prosecution said that Abu Lihi and others sprayed outdoor graffiti whose content was "defamatory sentences that include insulting directed personally against the president of the state of Palestine and against the authorities".
December 2016, Euro Med Human Rights Monitors issued a report regarding the violation of human rights and the international law in Palestine. As the three lawmakers were staging a sit- in at the office of the international committee of the Red Cross, their parliamentary immunity was suspended by the Palestinian president- Mahmoud Abbas; two of them are accused of embezzlement, weapons smuggling and defamation; as well as they were prevented from the delivery of food, water and visits by journalists. The three lawmakers instead stated that the president committed this as a revenge against them due to their alliance with Mohammad Dahalan. According to the report, breaking the international committee of the Red Cross were considered as a violation of the international laws and conventions. The Palestinian authority's action was also in direct contradiction of the Palestinian executive system and its commitment to human rights standards as dictated by international agreements.
Al-Mizan Center for Human Rights published a report about violating the right of expression in Gaza. Since the beginning of winter, the electricity cuts began to worsen, which has negatively impacted the population of two million's basic needs. The electricity came on for four hours, followed by a 12-hour blackout. Due to Israel's border closures, there was a lack of fuel on the markets in Gaza as well and the humanitarian crisis got much worse: increasing numbers of deaths, particularly among children and older, sick and disabled people living in the hundreds of high-rise building without elevators. On 12 January 2017, many thousands of people were gathered in Jabaliya refugee camp to demonstrate in front of the Electricity Company. The police dispersed them by shooting in the air and beating some people with cudgels. Accordingly, Mohammed Al Baba, a journalist at Agence France Presse, was sustained a cut over his left eye and his camera was seized as well as Fares Akram Al Ghoul, a journalist from the Associated Press, was assaulted by them. There are also six people sustained bruises. As mentioned in the report, the police summoned groups of people for questioning and broke into houses to arrest people with a view of forcing them to sign documents committing themselves to "respecting the law" and to prevent them from disturbing so called "public security" despite their violating of the Gaza population's right to protest in peaceful way and give their expression.
Freedom of the press As of 2006, sixteen Palestinian journalists have been killed or wounded by PA security forces or armed groups.
Abdullah Issa, Palestinian publisher and editor of the on-line magazine Donia al Watan was detained in July 2006 by the Palestinian Authority for publishing a story about the theft of $400,000 from PA Foreign Minister Mahmud al-Zahar while visiting Kuwait. The story cast aspersions on Hamas for having large amounts of cash while the Palestinian people were suffering from poverty. This story had appeared elsewhere in the Arabic media. Issa, accused al-Zahar and Hamas of interfering with freedom of the press in the Palestinian territories and expressed disappointment with Hamas's failure to reign in corruption as promised in their election platform: "Our people have the right to hold Hamas accountable for the deterioration in their living conditions,...We were hoping that the Hamas government would start chasing and arresting all the murderers and thugs who continue to roam the streets of the Gaza Strip and to open all the cases of financial corruption." Donia al Watans offices have been attacked by masked gunmen and there have been death threats against Issa and staff.
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades has been blamed for a number of attacks on journalists in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and the Arab television station Al-Arabiya's West Bank offices.
In September 2001, Yasser Arafat's Tanzim kidnapped a Palestinian cameraman who shot film showing Palestinian citizens and police in Ramallah celebrating on 9/11/2001 following the attacks on US targets, and threatened to kill the cameraman if the film was shown on air.
In September 2006, a journalist was severely beaten and the computer equipment in the office of the Palestinian Authority's official news agency Wafa was destroyed. Graffiti was sprayed on the wall accusing the agency of a lack of objectivity. Fatah officials noted that PA Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar has accused the agency "of waging a motivated campaign of incitement" against him and blamed Hamas for the attack. Khan Yunis governor Osama al-Farra condemned the attack, saying it, "reflected the continued state of anarchy and lawlessness in PA-controlled areas".