The 2008 Press Freedom Index from Reporters Without Borders released today has some fascinating data.

The entire report is here.

Israel’s press freedom, inside the country, ranks at 46 [out of 173; Eritrea is last]

In the West Bank, where Israeli military law is sovereign, Israeli press freedom ranks at 149 [just between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Azerbaijan, with Zimbabwe not far behind].

Reporters Without Borders explain:

The Israeli military’s responsibility for the death of a Palestinian cameraman employed by Reuters in April and the impunity granted to the soldier who fired the fatal shell account for Israel’s fall (149th outside its own territory) in the ranking.

Iceland comes in at number 1 on the press freedom rankings; although I guess they didn’t do enough to warn of a catastrophic economic collapse.