Highly Restricted
This is the weighted total of the four scored pillars.
Jurisdiction assessmentResearch confidence: Low · Evidence coverage: Standard
Palestinian Territories · 2026
Palestinian Territories
Occupation, war, territorial fragmentation, shutdowns and infrastructure destruction, repression by governing authorities, violence, surveillance, and the absence of dependable remedies leave online freedom largely denied.
Assessment windowJanuary 1–December 31, 2025
Research cutoffJuly 17, 2026
FrameworkMethodology v0.3 · 20 indicators
Territory coverageWest Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip
Finding
01Why Palestinian Territories received this score.
Occupation, war, territorial fragmentation, shutdowns and infrastructure destruction, repression by governing authorities, violence, surveillance, and the absence of dependable remedies leave online freedom largely denied.
The score draws on country reporting, network measurements, shutdown records, journalist cases, privacy law, and rule-of-law data. The indicator findings below show how that evidence was converted into points. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]
Open Internet & Content Controls
Shutdowns, throttling, or platform restrictions have been used during protests, elections, conflict, or unrest.
Rule of Law & Accountability
No dependable independent remedy constrains political censorship or surveillance in practice.
Standard coverage
8 cited sources support this assessment.
Scored assessment
02Indicator scores.
Each indicator receives 0–4 points. Five indicators form a pillar. The pillar average is converted to a percentage and multiplied by its published weight.
B
30% weight
Open Internet & Content Controls
Shutdowns, throttling, or platform restrictions have been used during protests, elections, conflict, or unrest.
45.013.5 / 30 points
B1Shutdowns and throttling2.0 / 4
Observed record
Palestinian Territories: Access differs sharply between the West Bank and Gaza and has been affected by Israeli controls, wartime shutdowns, infrastructure destruction, and restrictions imposed by Palestinian authorities and armed groups.; DSP's 2025 shutdown-practice estimate 4/4; social-media shutdown estimate 4/4; OONI measurements and the Access Now shutdown record provide the incident check. [2][3][4][1]
Scoring judgment
Palestinian Territories's B1 evidence supports 2.0/4. Restrictions are recurrent and safeguards are only partly effective.
B2Website and service blocking1.5 / 4
Observed record
Palestinian Territories: Access differs sharply between the West Bank and Gaza and has been affected by Israeli controls, wartime shutdowns, infrastructure destruction, and restrictions imposed by Palestinian authorities and armed groups.; Freedom House's 2026 country scorecard recorded media freedom 1/4 and private discussion 1/4; DSP's 2025 political-filtering estimate 2/4; the country OONI dashboard supplies direct network measurements. [3][1][4]
Scoring judgment
Palestinian Territories's B2 evidence supports 1.5/4. Restrictions are widespread, although limited protection remains.
B3Removal and filtering orders1.5 / 4
Observed record
Palestinian Territories: Access differs sharply between the West Bank and Gaza and has been affected by Israeli controls, wartime shutdowns, infrastructure destruction, and restrictions imposed by Palestinian authorities and armed groups.; Freedom House's 2026 country scorecard recorded media freedom 1/4 and private discussion 1/4; DSP's 2025 political-content censorship estimate 4/4; online-speech legal protection 2/4. [2][1][3][4]
Scoring judgment
Palestinian Territories's B3 evidence supports 1.5/4. Restrictions are widespread, although limited protection remains.
B4Intermediary liability2.0 / 4
Observed record
Palestinian Territories: Access differs sharply between the West Bank and Gaza and has been affected by Israeli controls, wartime shutdowns, infrastructure destruction, and restrictions imposed by Palestinian authorities and armed groups.; Freedom House's 2026 country scorecard recorded media freedom 1/4; DSP's online-speech legal protection estimate 2/4; protection against legal abuse by political elites 2/4. [2][1][3][4]
Scoring judgment
Palestinian Territories's B4 evidence supports 2.0/4. Restrictions are recurrent and safeguards are only partly effective.
B5Circumvention and cross-border access2.0 / 4
Observed record
Palestinian Territories: Access differs sharply between the West Bank and Gaza and has been affected by Israeli controls, wartime shutdowns, infrastructure destruction, and restrictions imposed by Palestinian authorities and armed groups.; Freedom House's 2026 country scorecard recorded media freedom 1/4 and private discussion 1/4; DSP's political-filtering estimate 2/4; independence from state-controlled social platforms 4/4; OONI and Freedom House records provide the circumvention check. [3][1][4]
Scoring judgment
Palestinian Territories's B5 evidence supports 2.0/4. Restrictions are recurrent and safeguards are only partly effective.
C
30% weight
Free Expression & Civic Space
Violence, harassment, or impunity materially limits journalism and civic participation online.
35.010.5 / 30 points
C1Legal protection for expression1.5 / 4
Observed record
Palestinian Territories: Journalists and online critics face detention and pressure from the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, while Israeli military operations, detention, and access restrictions create additional severe risks.; Freedom House's 2026 country scorecard recorded media freedom 1/4 and private discussion 1/4; DSP's online-speech legal protection estimate 2/4; the relevant Freedom House country score 22/100. [1][7][5][8]
Scoring judgment
Palestinian Territories's C1 evidence supports 1.5/4. Restrictions are widespread, although limited protection remains.
C2Speech-related offenses1.5 / 4
Observed record
Palestinian Territories: Journalists and online critics face detention and pressure from the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, while Israeli military operations, detention, and access restrictions create additional severe risks.; Freedom House's 2026 country scorecard recorded media freedom 1/4 and due process 1/4; DSP's protection against abuse of defamation and copyright law 2/4; Freedom House country reporting supplies the offense and enforcement record. [2][1][5][8]
Scoring judgment
Palestinian Territories's C2 evidence supports 1.5/4. Restrictions are widespread, although limited protection remains.
C3Arrests and penalties1.0 / 4
Observed record
Palestinian Territories: Journalists and online critics face detention and pressure from the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, while Israeli military operations, detention, and access restrictions create additional severe risks.; Freedom House's 2026 country scorecard recorded due process 1/4 and equal treatment under law 0/4; DSP's 2025 political-arrest estimate 1/3; CPJ and Freedom House records provide the documented case check. [2][5][1][8]
Scoring judgment
Palestinian Territories's C3 evidence supports 1.0/4. The right is severely restricted and effective safeguards are weak.
C4Harassment, violence, and digital attacks1.5 / 4
Observed record
Palestinian Territories: Journalists and online critics face detention and pressure from the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, while Israeli military operations, detention, and access restrictions create additional severe risks.; Freedom House's 2026 country scorecard recorded media freedom 1/4 and equal treatment under law 0/4; CPJ and Freedom House reporting provide the violence, harassment, and accountability record. [5][8][1]
Scoring judgment
Palestinian Territories's C4 evidence supports 1.5/4. Restrictions are widespread, although limited protection remains.
C5Civic participation and pluralism1.5 / 4
Observed record
Palestinian Territories: Journalists and online critics face detention and pressure from the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, while Israeli military operations, detention, and access restrictions create additional severe risks.; Freedom House's 2026 country scorecard recorded political choice free from domination 0/4 and assembly freedom 1/4; DSP's online-media pluralism estimate 1/4; ordinary people's online civic-mobilization estimate 2/4. [2][1][5][8]
Scoring judgment
Palestinian Territories's C5 evidence supports 1.5/4. Restrictions are widespread, although limited protection remains.
D
20% weight
Privacy, Anonymity & User Security
Broad surveillance powers and limited independent authorization weaken privacy and anonymity.
40.08.0 / 20 points
D1Data protection rights2.0 / 4
Observed record
Palestinian Territories: Surveillance and device access by Israeli and Palestinian authorities, conflict exposure, and weak data safeguards substantially limit private and anonymous political communication.; DSP's privacy-law existence measure 0/1; privacy-law constraint on government access 4/4. [6][1][2][7]
Scoring judgment
Palestinian Territories's D1 evidence supports 2.0/4. Restrictions are recurrent and safeguards are only partly effective.
D2Surveillance law and authorization1.5 / 4
Observed record
Palestinian Territories: Surveillance and device access by Israeli and Palestinian authorities, conflict exposure, and weak data safeguards substantially limit private and anonymous political communication.; Freedom House's 2026 country scorecard recorded judicial independence 1/4 and due process 1/4; DSP's protection from political social-media monitoring 2/4. [1][7][2]
Scoring judgment
Palestinian Territories's D2 evidence supports 1.5/4. Restrictions are widespread, although limited protection remains.
D3Retention, access, and identity mandates1.5 / 4
Observed record
Palestinian Territories: Surveillance and device access by Israeli and Palestinian authorities, conflict exposure, and weak data safeguards substantially limit private and anonymous political communication.; Freedom House's 2026 country scorecard recorded private discussion 1/4 and due process 1/4; DSP's privacy-law constraint on government access 4/4; protection from political monitoring 2/4; UNCTAD and Freedom House records provide the retention and identity-law check. [1][6][2][7]
Scoring judgment
Palestinian Territories's D3 evidence supports 1.5/4. Restrictions are widespread, although limited protection remains.
D4Targeted surveillance and spyware1.5 / 4
Observed record
Palestinian Territories: Surveillance and device access by Israeli and Palestinian authorities, conflict exposure, and weak data safeguards substantially limit private and anonymous political communication.; Freedom House's 2026 country scorecard recorded media freedom 1/4 and equal treatment under law 0/4; DSP's protection from political monitoring 2/4; CPJ and Freedom House reporting provide the targeted-surveillance case record. [5][1][2][7]
Scoring judgment
Palestinian Territories's D4 evidence supports 1.5/4. Restrictions are widespread, although limited protection remains.
D5Encryption and anonymity1.5 / 4
Observed record
Palestinian Territories: Surveillance and device access by Israeli and Palestinian authorities, conflict exposure, and weak data safeguards substantially limit private and anonymous political communication.; Freedom House's 2026 country scorecard recorded private discussion 1/4; DSP's political-filtering estimate 2/4; protection from political monitoring 2/4; OONI and Freedom House records provide the encryption and anonymity check. [3][1][2][7]
Scoring judgment
Palestinian Territories's D5 evidence supports 1.5/4. Restrictions are widespread, although limited protection remains.
E
20% weight
Rule of Law & Accountability
No dependable independent remedy constrains political censorship or surveillance in practice.
25.05.0 / 20 points
E1Judicial independence and due process0.5 / 4
Observed record
Palestinian Territories: No national elections have been held since 2006, the legislature does not function, territorial authority is fragmented, and conflict conditions leave no dependable unified remedy.; Freedom House's 2026 country scorecard recorded judicial independence 1/4 and due process 1/4. [7][1]
Scoring judgment
Palestinian Territories's E1 evidence supports 0.5/4. Only narrow residual protection remains.
E2Independent regulators0.5 / 4
Observed record
Palestinian Territories: No national elections have been held since 2006, the legislature does not function, territorial authority is fragmented, and conflict conditions leave no dependable unified remedy.; Freedom House's 2026 country scorecard recorded government safeguards against corruption 1/4 and government openness and transparency 1/4. [7][1]
Scoring judgment
Palestinian Territories's E2 evidence supports 0.5/4. Only narrow residual protection remains.
E3Government transparency1.0 / 4
Observed record
Palestinian Territories: No national elections have been held since 2006, the legislature does not function, territorial authority is fragmented, and conflict conditions leave no dependable unified remedy.; Freedom House's 2026 country scorecard recorded government openness and transparency 1/4. [7][1]
Scoring judgment
Palestinian Territories's E3 evidence supports 1.0/4. The right is severely restricted and effective safeguards are weak.
E4Notice, appeal, and remedy1.0 / 4
Observed record
Palestinian Territories: No national elections have been held since 2006, the legislature does not function, territorial authority is fragmented, and conflict conditions leave no dependable unified remedy.; Freedom House's 2026 country scorecard recorded judicial independence 1/4 and due process 1/4. [7][1]
Scoring judgment
Palestinian Territories's E4 evidence supports 1.0/4. The right is severely restricted and effective safeguards are weak.
E5Open and multistakeholder policymaking2.0 / 4
Observed record
Palestinian Territories: No national elections have been held since 2006, the legislature does not function, territorial authority is fragmented, and conflict conditions leave no dependable unified remedy.; Freedom House's 2026 country scorecard recorded elected officials' authority 0/4 and assembly freedom 1/4; DSP's online civic-mobilization estimate 2/4. [2][1][7]
Scoring judgment
Palestinian Territories's E5 evidence supports 2.0/4. Restrictions are recurrent and safeguards are only partly effective.
Jurisdiction findings
03Findings by pillar.
These are the principal findings for each scored part of the report. The indicator records above provide the supporting detail.
Open Internet & Content Controls
Shutdowns, throttling, or platform restrictions have been used during protests, elections, conflict, or unrest.
[2][3][4]Free Expression & Civic Space
Violence, harassment, or impunity materially limits journalism and civic participation online.
[2][5][8]Privacy, Anonymity & User Security
Broad surveillance powers and limited independent authorization weaken privacy and anonymity.
[6][1]Rule of Law & Accountability
No dependable independent remedy constrains political censorship or surveillance in practice.
[7][1]Research record
04Coverage
West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip, assessed from January 1 through December 31, 2025.
Evidence
Network measurements, legal and institutional datasets, shutdown records, and documented cases support the findings.
Scoring
Twenty indicators measure content openness, expression, privacy, security, and institutional checks under Methodology v0.3.
Source register
05Sources used for this report.
Country reporting, open measurements, and cross-national datasets form the report record.
- 01Freedom HouseWest Bank: Freedom in the World 2026 country report ↗Civil society · 2026 edition
- 02Digital Society ProjectDigital Society Project Dataset v8 ↗Independent measurement · 2000–2025 country-year data
- 03Open Observatory of Network InterferencePalestinian Territories measurement dashboard ↗Independent measurement · Accessed July 17, 2026
- 04Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalitionInternet Shutdowns in 2025 Annual Report ↗Civil society · March 2026
- 05Committee to Protect Journalists2025 journalist prison census and case database ↗Civil society · January 21, 2026
- 06UN Trade and DevelopmentData protection and privacy legislation worldwide ↗International organization · Accessed July 17, 2026
- 07World Justice ProjectRule of Law Index 2025 ↗Independent measurement · October 28, 2025
- 08Reporters Without BordersWorld Press Freedom Index 2026 ↗Civil society · May 2026