freedom of information

Illustrative photo by Jennifer Moo (CC BY-ND 2.0)

IDF Censor redacts 1 in 5 articles it reviews for publication

The Israeli military censor has redacted, in full or in part, over 17,000 articles since 2011. While fewer articles have been censored in 2015 and 2016, the new IDF Censor is attempting to redact already-published information with alarming frequency. The Israeli Military Censor has outright banned the publication of 1,936 articles and redacted some information from 14,196…

By Haggai Matar September 26, 2016

Palestinians show their ID cards at an Israeli military checkpoint in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, June 10, 2016. (Wisam Hashlamoun/FLASH90)

For Israel’s military gov’t, PR trumps freedom of information

When Israel’s military government needs to provide Palestinians with crucial information about the rules that affect their lives, money and Arabic-speaking staff are apparently in short supply. When it comes to PR, resources are seemingly on tap. Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman this week announced his new “carrot and stick” plan for Palestinians living in the West…

By Natasha Soffer-Roth August 23, 2016

Israeli Border Police direct Palestinian worshipers through the Qalandiya checkpoint separating Ramallah and Jerusalem on their way to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque for the second Friday of Ramadan, June 17, 2016. (Ahmad Al-Bazz/Activestills.org)

Why won’t Israel’s military gov’t translate its policies into Arabic?

The inaccessibility of Israel’s military procedures means Palestinians are often forced to navigate the labyrinthine bureaucracy of the occupation in the dark. The Civil Administration, the arm of Israel’s military government that rules over 2.8 million Palestinians in the West Bank, has once again broken its own commitment to publish all its policies and procedures…

By Natasha Soffer-Roth June 23, 2016

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At Qalandiya checkpoint, Israeli soldiers control the turnstiles remotely from behind bullet proof glass. When they lock it every few minutes to control the flow of passengers, someone is almost always trapped inside, unable to move more than a few inches in each direction until the soldiers let another handful of people through, West Bank, February 25, 2016. (Activestills.org)

Israel’s military gov’t ordered to publish regulations in Arabic

Israel’s military government is once again rebuked in court over its continued failure to meet the bare minimum of its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act, and moreover must compensate the NGO petitioning to bring it to account. Israel’s military government, which rules over millions of Palestinians, was hit with a nearly unprecedented court ruling…

By Natasha Soffer-Roth May 6, 2016

Palestinians workers walk next to the Wall and an Israeli military tower to cross very early the Eyal Israeli military checkpoint into Israel in order to reach their workplace, Qalqiliya, West Bank, 22.11.2011. Thousands of Palestinians are passing this checkpoint every morning, some coming as early as 4am. (Photo by: Anne Paq/Activestills.org)

How Israel’s military gov’t keeps Palestinians in the dark

An Israeli judge rebukes the state over its failure to publish all protocols and procedures that govern the lives of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A long-running legal battle over the transparency of Israel’s military government took another step on Wednesday when a Tel Aviv District Court judge rebuked the Coordination of…

By Natasha Soffer-Roth January 14, 2016