freedom of expression

A first grade classroom at an Israeli school in Jerusalem, September 1, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Israel is secretly surveilling its teachers. No prizes for guessing which ones

The Education Ministry is monitoring teachers online, searching not only for ‘incitement’ but mere criticism of the state — and 3 out of 4 targeted are Arab.

By Gil Gertel August 21, 2026

Nadim Nashif. (Courtesy)

PODCAST: Inside Meta’s war on Palestinian content

A new report by 7amleh examined over 3,500 cases of digital censorship relating to Palestine. Nadim Nashif explains what they discovered.

By +972 Magazine July 30, 2026

Tamer Nafar. (Courtesy)

‘Our role is to hold on’: Palestinian artists in Israel after October 7

Three Palestinian creatives grapple with their responsibility to make art that meets the moment while Israeli authorities stifle free expression.

By Tamer Nafar July 21, 2026

Latest

Egyptian fans wave a Palestinian flag while watching their team play against Argentina at the 2026 World Cup, Luxor, Egypt, July 7, 2026. (Essam El-Amari)

The World Cup tested the limits of Egypt’s pro-Palestine solidarity

Coach Hossam Hassan and his team have become a vehicle for expressing a popular sentiment that is either repressed or carefully contained at home.

By Shaimaa Ahmed July 17, 2026

Sheikh Raed Salah, leader of the Northern Branch of the islamic Movement, and Mohammad Barakeh, chairman of High Follow Up Committee, arrive for a visit at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City, April 19, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

First Israel silenced Palestinian citizens. Now it turns to their leaders

Recent cases involving prominent Arab officials reveal the state's strategy: digging up old statements and seeking severe punishment in Israeli courts.

By Baker Zoubi July 6, 2026

An Israeli soldier confronts a photographer documenting a raid on the Old City of Hebron, the occupied West Bank, October 4, 2025. (Mosab Shawer/Activestills)

15 articles a day: The extent of the Israeli army’s media interference

In 2025, the military censor banned or redacted over 5,000 news reports, with suppression peaking during Israel’s war with Iran.

By Haggai Matar June 17, 2026

Alex Sinclair's kippah, returned to him by police after they cut out the Palestinian flag sewn into it. (Alex Sinclair)

Israel’s crackdown on the Palestinian flag veers into the surreal

A mutilated kippah and a confiscated Hungarian flag betray the deep sense of insecurity underlying Israel’s delusions of military grandeur.

By Amos Brison May 1, 2026

Leandra Rollo seen behind a glass screen at the trial of the Palestine Action 'Ulm 5,' charged with breaking into Elbit's offices in southern Germany, at the Stannheim prison complex near Stuttgart, April 27, 2026. (Ignacio Rosaslanda)

‘Extraordinarily far-reaching’ Palestine Action trial gets underway in Germany

The ‘Ulm 5’ are facing prison time over a break-in at an Israeli weapons firm, in a case experts warn could set a precedent for criminalizing direct action.

By Hanno Hauenstein April 28, 2026

A Palestinian man inspects the damage after a missile fired from Iran struck the Palestinian town of Zarzir, northern Israel, March 13, 2026. (Michael Giladi/Flash90)

Exposed from above, silenced from within: Palestinians in wartime Israel

Decades of neglect have left Palestinian citizens unprotected from missile fire, while police are carrying out arrests for expressions of dissent.

By Samah Watad and Baker Zoubi March 19, 2026

Iyad Nassar, Menna Shalabi, and director Peter Mimi on the set of Sohab Al-Ard in Egypt, February 2026. (Courtesy of United Media Services)

Israel lambasted this Ramadan TV drama. Reception in Gaza has been mixed

‘Sohab Al-Ard’ has brought the genocide in Gaza to millions of living rooms across the Arab world. But does it achieve what it set out to?

By Shimaa Elyoussef March 17, 2026

Abdel Rahim Haj Yahya in his home in Tayibe after his release from prison, where he spent 27 months for social media posts. (Oren Ziv)

A Palestinian influencer spent 27 months in Israeli prison — for social media posts

Abdel Rahim Haj Yahya, an Israeli citizen, was convicted of incitement to terror soon after October 7. He is convinced it was because of his large following.

By Baker Zoubi and Oren Ziv February 10, 2026

A Palestinian man accused of taking part in a lynching during a 2021 riot in Akka, at a court hearing in Haifa, July 28, 2022. (Flash90)

When Israel’s courts become ‘instruments of revenge’ against Palestinian citizens

The outcome of two recent murder cases — one of a Jewish-Israeli, the other a Palestinian — has reaffirmed the shallow liberties of second-class citizenship.

By Vera Sajrawi November 19, 2025

A screenshot of Nasser Laham during a video hearing to extend his remand, July 13, 2025. (Hagar Shezaf)

My journalist friend was arrested by Israel. He won’t be the last

The harassment of Nasser Laham and others like Israel Frey sends a message that neither Palestinian nor Jewish journalists who criticize Israel are safe.

By Meron Rapoport July 18, 2025