A Palestinian committee has documented 42 Israeli violations against Palestinian journalists and media groups during April, Felesteen newspaper reported on Sunday.

A report from the Committee for the Protection of Journalists has called for human rights groups and international bodies to intervene in order to stop Israel’s attacks on media freedom.

The committee accused Israel of exposing Palestinian journalists to danger by banning the import of bulletproof vests and other safety equipment under a false pretext. Israel ignores international law, values and conventions, it insisted.

Israel’s violations last month alone included eight detentions and calls for interrogations. The report documented eight extensions of prison terms against journalists. One journalist had his administration detention order renewed and two others were given different prison terms.

Journalists were also exposed to tear gas attacks during their coverage of peaceful protests in Ramallah. Another four were harassed by Israeli settlers.

Meanwhile, said the committee, Israeli occupation forces stormed into the homes of four journalists and the offices of two media groups causing a lot of damage in the process.

As part of its crackdown on media freedom, Israel blocked journalists from covering a number of events and prevented two journalists from travelling.

(MEMO)