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href="https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/charlotte-silver/mahmoud-abbas-decrees-sweeping-internet-speech-restrictions">https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/charlotte-silver/mahmoud-abbas-decrees-sweeping-internet-speech-restrictions</a></font>
<h1 id="reader-title">Mahmoud Abbas decrees sweeping internet
speech restrictions</h1>
<p class="node__submitted"> <span class="field field-author"><a
href="https://electronicintifada.net/people/charlotte-silver">Charlotte
Silver</a></span> <span class="field field-blog">-</span>
<span class="field field-publication-date"><span
class="date-display-single"
content="2017-08-09T13:50:20+00:00">9 August 2017</span></span>
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<p>Palestinian media and human rights groups are calling
on the <a
href="https://electronicintifada.net/tags/palestinian-authority">Palestinian
Authority</a> to suspend the new “Electronic Crimes”
law that critics say is a sweeping attack on the right
to free expression and privacy.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, an Israeli minister is facing difficulties
in his effort to shut down Al Jazeera.</p>
<p>The law was <a
href="https://globalvoices.org/2017/08/03/will-palestines-new-cybercrime-law-pave-the-way-for-more-rights-violations/#">approved</a>
in secrecy by PA leader <a
href="https://electronicintifada.net/tags/mahmoud-abbas">Mahmoud
Abbas</a> on 24 June. Without any public discussion,
it reportedly went into effect just two weeks later.</p>
<p>Groups including the Palestinian Journalists
Syndicate, the Independent Committee for Human Rights
and the <a
href="https://electronicintifada.net/tags/mada">Palestinian
Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA)</a>,
have all <a
href="http://www.madacenter.org/news.php?lang=1&id=316">denounced</a>
the law, warning it will further erode Palestinians’
rights.</p>
<p>Social Media Exchange, a group that monitors laws
that affect digital rights in the Arab world, <a
href="https://smex.org/limiting-palestinian-free-speech-online-is-no-solution-to-cybercrime">translated</a>
the most troubling parts of Abbas’ decree.</p>
<p>It stipulates that acts online that harm “national
unity” or “social harmony” will be punishable by hard
labor for three to 15 years.</p>
<p>The law allows for anyone to be imprisoned for one
year and fined up to $7,000 for violating “public
manners” online.</p>
<p>It requires internet service providers to cooperate
with Palestinian intelligence agencies, and collect,
store and share user information.</p>
<p>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.”</p>
<p><a
href="https://globalvoices.org/2017/08/03/will-palestines-new-cybercrime-law-pave-the-way-for-more-rights-violations/#">Writing</a>
for <em>Global Voices</em>, 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.</p>
<h2>PA crackdown on journalists</h2>
<p>Both <a
href="https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/charlotte-silver/israel-uses-facebook-likes-convict-astrophysicist-incitement">Israel</a>
and the <a
href="https://electronicintifada.net/content/jailed-calling-palestinian-authority-rotten/16871">Palestinian
Authority</a>, which <a
href="https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/mahmoud-abbas-collaboration-israeli-army-secret-police-sacred">work</a>
<a
href="https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/charlotte-silver/pa-collaborates-israels-torture-agency">together</a>
closely to control the Palestinian population under
military occupation, already jail Palestinians for
their postings on social media.</p>
<p>The decree’s enactment comes as the PA oversees a <a
href="https://english.palinfo.com/news/2017/7/16/PA-security-arrests-journalist-summons-three-others-in-W-Bank">wave
of press violations</a> including arrests for
statements made on social media.</p>
<p>At the beginning of June, the Palestinian Authority <a
href="https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/society/2017/6/12/outrage-as-palestinian-authorities-detain-student-for-facebook-post">arrested</a>
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.</p>
<p>This week, PA intelligence agencies in the occupied
West Bank <a
href="http://www.raialyoum.com/?p=723442">arrested
four journalists</a> from several local outlets,
accusing them of “leaking sensitive information.”</p>
<p>Speaking at a <a
href="http://www.madacenter.org/news.php?lang=1&id=316">recent
forum</a> of groups concerned about the new decree,
<a
href="https://electronicintifada.net/tags/mousa-rimawi">Mousa
Rimawi</a>, 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.</p>
<h2>Trouble with Al Jazeera</h2>
<p>Meanwhile, Israel’s communications minister <a
href="https://electronicintifada.net/tags/ayoub-kara">Ayoub
Kara</a> is running into difficulties as he moves
forward with his <a
href="https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/charlotte-silver/surge-israeli-attacks-journalists">promise</a>
to shut down <a
href="https://electronicintifada.net/tags/al-jazeera">Al
Jazeera’s</a> Jerusalem bureau.</p>
<p>Following in the footsteps of <a
href="https://electronicintifada.net/tags/saudi-arabia">Saudi
Arabia</a> and other Gulf states that have <a
href="https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/israel-backs-saudi-arabia-confrontation-qatar">mounted
a campaign</a> against Qatar and its media network,
Kara and Israeli Prime Minister <a
href="https://electronicintifada.net/tags/benjamin-netanyahu">Benjamin
Netanyahu</a> have accused Al Jazeera of
“incitement” and vowed to shut it down.</p>
<p>Amnesty International has <a
href="https://www.amnestyusa.org/press-releases/israel-plans-to-shut-down-al-jazeera-are-an-attack-on-media-freedom/">called</a>
Israel’s attempt to shut down Al Jazeera a “chilling
message that Israeli authorities will not tolerate
critical coverage.”</p>
<p>“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.</p>
<p>But the Tel Aviv newspaper <em>Haaretz</em> <a
href="http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.805486">reports</a>
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.</p>
<p>According to <em>Haaretz</em>, 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.”</p>
<p>“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.”</p>
<p>Kara has asked broadcast companies for help, but they
have so far failed to express any willingness to
remove Al Jazeera from their service.</p>
<p>He has also asked public security minister <a
href="https://electronicintifada.net/tags/gilad-erdan">Gilad
Erdan</a> for assistance, but Erdan referred him to
the Israeli police, who sent Kara back to the public
security ministry.</p>
<p>This leaves Kara with the option to try to pass an
amendment to the law, a process that would not begin
until the fall.</p>
<h2>Bending over backwards</h2>
<p>During Israel’s regular attacks on Gaza, <a
href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQY4gRoJoPM">including
the last major one</a> three years ago that killed
more than 2,200 Palestinians, Al Jazeera has <a
href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSSVfxHbuBE">regularly</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhoLWmYINRw">provided</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gRhoJyZRRg">Israeli
officials</a> with air time to justify their lethal
attacks on Palestinians.</p>
<p>Amid the recent increase in tension around the <a
href="https://electronicintifada.net/tags/al-aqsa-mosque">al-Aqsa
mosque compound</a> in Jerusalem, Al Jazeera’s
Arabic channel <a
href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaI0qV-y-As">interviewed</a>
Yoav Mordechai, the Israeli military officer who
governs the occupied West Bank.</p>
<p>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.”</p>
<p>“The freedom of expression is not the freedom to
incite and foment strife,” he added. “Even democracy
has its limits.”</p>
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