Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory
The Israeli government’s suppression of dissent and free expression has ranked it among the world’s top 10 jailers of writers since 2023, according to the Freedom to Write Index. Israel’s ongoing use of administrative detention — a policy under which individuals can be detained without charge or trial for renewable six-month periods — remained central to its suppression of Palestinian human rights, including free expression. More than 80 journalists were killed, mostly in Gaza, by the Israeli military in 2025, a record high for any conflict, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Palestinian writers in the West Bank also face censorship and harassment by the Palestinian Authority to silence critics.
What You Need to Know
Of the 21 writers jailed in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory during 2025, nine were held in administrative detention without charge.
The Israeli military’s destruction of Gaza’s cultural heritage has inflicted an unprecedented toll on Palestinian culture, including the complete or partial destruction of historical, religious, and educational sites.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) suppresses free expression by using cybercrime laws to silence dissent on social media and harassing writers and human rights defenders.
News
Individual Cases
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Mahmoud Fatafta
Status: DetainedMahmoud Fatafta is a Palestinian columnist, political commentator, and professor of politics and media. On May 29, 2024, he was… More
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Mustafa Sheta
Status: ReleasedSheta, known for his activism, is a columnist and producer at The Freedom Theatre. In early December 2023, the Israeli… More
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Dareen Tatour
Status: Continued HarassmentTatour, a Palestinian citizen of Israel, was detained in 2015 for her poetry and social media posts and kept under… More
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Ahmad Qatamesh
Status: ReleasedSeptuagenarian Palestinian writer, scholar, and political commentator Ahmad Qatamesh has been repeatedly detained by Israeli authorities over several decades largely… More
All That Is Lost: The Cultural Destruction of Gaza
The Israeli military’s widespread destruction of Gaza’s cultural sites, libraries, museums, and universities has inflicted a catastrophic blow to Gaza’s cultural life and heritage and amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity, and is evidence of genocidal intent.