The Israeli authorities have pulled out all the stops to put the kibosh on the transmission of pro-Palestine Arab channels, aiming to sweep their inhumane and barbaric tactics in Gaza under the rug. This move has set off alarm bells and ignited debates about the freedom of the press and access to information, but "Tel Aviv" and its allies in the US government turned a blind eye and carried on pulling the strings in the media, online platforms, and among journalists to impede the dissemination of information.

The Israeli war cabinet gave its approval on Monday morning to cease broadcasting and operating in occupied Palestine for Al Mayadeen Media Network. The Israeli decision was expected given their history of intimidating journalists and whosoever dares to expose "Tel Aviv's" war crimes and genocide in Gaza perpetrated by their decimated occupation forces. The Israeli cabinet approved the plan of the minister of communications to close Al Mayadeen Media Network early this morning. This was done under emergency regulations put in place by the occupation government to prevent any foreign broadcast corporation from jeopardizing "national security" and after the minister of security was persuaded of the real threat to "national security".

In the face of "Israel's" war on Gaza, the Arab League meeting in Cairo put its foot down and condemned the killing and targeting of civilians, including women and children, but this unfolding genocide in Gaza is a ticking time bomb with repercussions that will ripple through the entire Arab world. 

Despite repeated pushes by the Arab leaders for a UN resolution denouncing the attacks and urging for a ceasefire, "Israel" went full steam ahead with a crushing ground invasion of Gaza, going so far as to completely sever telecommunications and internet facilities in the area to block the flow of information.

Social media giants have come under fire for "putting a lid on pro-Palestine voices." Media reports say that companies such as TikTok, Meta, and X have dropped the ball when it comes to respecting the human rights of Palestinian users. It is like they have thrown freedom of expression and political participation out the window. These actions have sparked a firestorm of efforts to muzzle pro-Palestinian sentiments, both in the digital realm and in the real world, across different arenas. The situation is a real can of worms, with a lot at stake for media freedom, human rights, and accurate coverage of the ongoing conflict in the region. It drives home the significance of speaking one's mind, reporting the facts straight, and standing up for harmony and fairness in the area.

Threat to Al Mayadeen Media Network

The occupation army has targeted working journalists and pro-Palestinian news outlets that attempt to present a balanced and accurate account of the massacre in Gaza, which has so far claimed over eleven thousand lives through indiscriminate bombardment of civilian populations as it enters its second month.

According to a report published earlier last week by Al Mayadeen Media Network, an independent pan-Arab satellite channel headquartered in Beirut with widespread viewership across the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and certain regions of Europe, "Israel's" top intelligence agencies have advised the Israeli Ministry of Communication that access to the channel be restricted within the occupied Palestinian territory.

Al Mayadeen said the Minister of Communications is going to pull out all the stops and ask Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt the channel's activities within "Israel" at the upcoming cabinet meeting.

Al Mayadeen's correspondent in occupied al-Quds Hanaa Mahameed on Monday found herself caught between a rock and a hard place. The Israeli Channel 12 correspondent and a bunch of extremist settlers pulled a fast one on her, leading her into a post office under false pretenses. They dangled the carrot of mail waiting to be received, only to spring their trap.

As soon as she stepped foot in the post office, she found herself in the lion's den, facing a barrage of attacks and harassment from the Zionist group. To add insult to injury, they made sure to capture every blow against the journalist on camera.

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Mahameed revealed in a video post that they put the brakes on her getaway car and threw caution to the wind by making some downright menacing remarks.

Restrictions on social media 

There are countless social media users pointing fingers at the top social media platforms—Meta, Instagram, X, YouTube, and TikTok - for allegedly censoring accounts or purposefully limiting the visibility of pro-Palestine content, a sneaky move commonly referred to as shadowbanning.

Authors, activists, journalists, filmmakers, and regular users from all corners of the globe have raised their voices, claiming that posts adorned with hashtags such as "Free Palestine" and "I Stand With Palestine," along with messages displaying solidarity for innocent Palestinians tragically lost at the hands of Israeli forces, are being concealed by these platforms.

Belgian filmmaker Thomas Maddens saw his TikTok video on Palestine hit a brick wall in terms of engagement. 

Additionally, some users have charged that Meta-owned Instagram is ignoring posts about Palestine because they allegedly go against the "community guidelines" without cause or justification. Others claimed that their Instagram stories were as elusive as a needle in a haystack when it came to spreading the word about the pro-Palestine protests in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. Some folks raised a stink about the term "terrorist" popping up near their Instagram bios.

Pro-Palestine journalists are under fire

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has recently suspended the on-air presence of six journalists stationed in the Middle East region. This action has been based on an investigation into their social media remarks, which appeared to express support for Hamas' actions against "Israel".

The social media activity of BBC News Arabic reporters, particularly those stationed in Egypt and Lebanon, was found to be exhibiting a "bias" toward "Israel" by endorsing the plight of Palestinians and criticizing the Israeli actions in Gaza.

The BBC has currently ceased the broadcast of all six journalists, while no formal suspensions have been ordered, as a prompt investigation into their conduct as employees of the BBC is underway.

The BBC, in a press release, said, “We regard complaints of violations of our editorial and social media guidelines with great gravity, and if such violations are identified, we will respond by taking appropriate disciplinary measures.”

Although the posts have been removed, according to media reports, it has been indicated that a journalist endorsed his post that seemingly characterized Hamas as "freedom fighters".

In a twist of events, the BBC reported that one of their News Arabic team in "Tel Aviv" had a run-in with Israeli police toward the end of last week. The unfortunate incident involved the police stopping and assaulting the team member, all while they were in a vehicle marked as media. "Journalists must have the freedom to report on the Israel-Gaza conflict without pulling any punches," the broadcaster said.

In yet another instance, The Guardian newspaper has decided to give Steve Bell, their long-standing cartoonist, the boot. He recently raised a fuss on X after they yanked one of his cartoons featuring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

He tore apart the decision on X, stating, "It's becoming as rare as hen's teeth to illustrate this topic for the Guardian without being accused of using 'antisemitic tropes'."

The Guardian has pulled the plug on renewing Steve Bell's contract. Steve Bell's cartoons have been the icing on the cake for The Guardian over the past 40 years. "We give him a big thumbs up and wish him all the luck in the world," The Guardian wrote.