In the alleys of occupied Jerusalem, the camera transforms from a tool for conveying news into an open front of conflict over narrative and sovereignty. Jerusalemite journalists face a repressive campaign aimed at isolating the holy city and obscuring the facts of what is happening within its walls. These practices come amid an unprecedented escalation targeting freedom of movement and journalistic work, turning the profession into an accusation warranting security and judicial prosecution.
Data from the Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate revealed shocking figures reflecting the extent of the targeting, with recorded violations since October 7, 2023, reaching approximately 3983. These crimes escalated, peaking in 2024 and 2025, while the beginning of the current year 2026 alone recorded about 300 violations, indicating the continuity of the systematic crackdown against media personnel.
In a judicial precedent reflecting the severity of the persecution, occupation courts issued a 20-month actual prison sentence against Jerusalemite journalist Bayan Al-Ja'ba, after she spent about a year and a half under house arrest. This ruling is one of the longest sentences issued against Jerusalemite female journalists recently, leaving severe social and humanitarian impacts on her family and children in Shuafat refugee camp.
The persecution was not limited to judicial rulings; the policy of expulsion emerged as a key tool to restrict journalistic work, especially in Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Old City. Syndicate sources reported 14 cases of journalists being expelled since the beginning of this year, most notably journalist Saif Al-Qawasmi, in an attempt to impose a complete media blackout on field events and religious occasions.
On the digital front, cyberspace has become another arena for pursuit, with journalists' accounts subject to constant monitoring and ready-made charges of 'incitement.' The 'Sada Social' center indicated that about 29% of documented digital violations directly targeted journalists, including account deletion and restricted access to Palestinian content, in addition to hundreds of attempts to hack personal pages.
In a dangerous development, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz issued a military order in April 2026 classifying five Palestinian media platforms as 'terrorist organizations.' Occupation authorities claim these institutions are linked to resistance groups, a pretext used to legitimize the closure of press offices, confiscation of equipment, and criminalization of their employees under legal cover.
For his part, Bilal Kaswani, head of the Jerusalem Committee in the Journalists' Syndicate, affirmed that 2023 and its aftermath represent the most violent era in the history of Jerusalemite journalism. He explained that the occupation authorities refuse to recognize Palestinian press cards and deliberately target crews during religious occasions, as happened during the last Ramadan with widespread restrictions on media coverage.
Journalist Saif Al-Qawasmi recounts his experience with continuous persecution since 2018, confirming that he was subjected to 12 summons for interrogation and incitement campaigns by settlers. Al-Qawasmi pointed out that the pace of these persecutions sharply escalated after the war on Gaza, with the expanded use of emergency laws and administrative detention to intimidate media professionals and deter them from field coverage.
These pressures also extend to sources of information, as Jerusalemite citizens now fear speaking to the media for fear of security persecution or harm to their livelihoods. This reality has created a significant challenge for journalists in obtaining field testimonies, prompting media institutions to redouble efforts to document daily violations in the city.
In the context of targeting religious institutions, Firas Dibs, former official in the Islamic Endowments, explained that restrictions even affected media employees within Al-Aqsa Mosque. Dibs mentioned that he was expelled from the mosque about 10 times since 2015, the last of which was an expulsion order for six months on charges of incitement, a charge loosely used against anyone who documents attacks.
Field testimonies indicate that interrogations often involve the confiscation of mobile phones, cameras, and professional equipment, which are rarely returned. This measure aims to financially and technically drain journalists, hindering their ability to keep up with rapidly unfolding events in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque in particular.
Despite this hostile environment, Jerusalemite journalists affirm their commitment to their professional mission and the necessity of maintaining the presence of the Palestinian narrative in international forums. They believe that attempts at intimidation and arrest will not succeed in obscuring the facts, but rather increase their determination to document what they describe as 'Judaization crimes' and continuous attacks on holy sites.
These developments come at a time when the Palestinian arena has witnessed the martyrdom of 204 journalists during the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip, placing Palestinian journalism before the greatest existential challenge in its history. Professional syndicates and human rights organizations demand the necessity of providing international protection for journalists and ensuring freedom of media work in the occupied territories.
What is happening in Jerusalem today is an attempt to reshape the geographical and demographic reality away from the eyes of cameras, by turning journalistic work into an adventure fraught with arrest or expulsion. Nevertheless, the word and image remain the only weapon left for Jerusalemites in the face of the oppressive machine that seeks to impose silence on the holy city.
The targeting is no longer limited to preventing field coverage, but has extended to expulsion from Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Old City and repeated security summonses.
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Imprisonment, Expulsion, and Vague Charges.. How Do Jerusalem Journalists Face the Narrative War?