Since Israel began its offensive against towns and cities administered by the Palestinian Authority 10
days ago, there have been about 40 cases of journalists
being obstructed in their work (wounded, injured, arrested,
expelled or threatened).
The Israeli army is knowingly targeting journalists in a
deliberate policy of intimidation. The Israeli authorities are
treating many journalists as "enemies" and accusing them
of being "Palestinian sympathisers." They are also doing
everything they can to hide their military operations and
accompanying abuses from the world's media.
Attacks on press freedom have increased in recent days.
Since Israel declared Ramallah a "closed military zone" on
31 March, journalists have found it harder to do their job.
They have been arrested, threatened, roughed up, hindered in their movements, expelled, wounded or
injured and had their accreditations or passports confiscated as part of efforts by the Israeli authorities to
restrict the free flow of information.
Israel has signed and ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, whose Article 19
guarantees the "freedom to seek, receive and impart information.." But the Israeli army is trying to prevent
journalists from reporting freely on its latest offensive. The press freedom situation has deteriorated as
never before in Israel's history.
At least five journalists have been wounded since 29 March. They include Carlos Handal, a cameraman for
the Egyptian Nile TV station, Anthony Shahid, an American correspondent for
the US daily The Boston Globe, Majadi Banura, a cameraman for the Qatari TV
station Al-Jazeera, Iyad Hamad, a Palestinian working for APTN, and Jérôme
Marcantetti, a cameraman for the French TV station LCI.
At least eight Palestinian journalists have been arrested. Hamdi Farraj, head of
the Palestinian TV station Al-Rouah, said two of his journalists, Ashraf Farraj
and Jalal Hameid, arrested on 3 April, are still being detained. Some Palestinian journalists have been
roughed up or humiliated. Atta Iweisat, a photographer working for the Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot and
the Gamma agency, was arrested by Israeli soldiers when they said he was not properly accredited. He
was held for more than an hour, on his knees in the rain, head down and hands tied behind his back. In
Ramallah, two cameramen working for Reuters and MBC were forced at gunpoint to undress in the middle
of the street during a security check.
About 20 journalists have come under fire. At least four
shots were aimed at Nasser Nasser, a photographer
working for the Associated Press, who was taking pictures
of armoured vehicles in Ramallah. Warning shots were fired
at a foreign press convoy of seven armoured vehicles on
their way to cover the arrival of US mediator Anthony Zinni
at Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's headquarters and
five stun grenades were thrown at them. When the convoy
turned round, the CNN vehicle was hit by a bullet that broke
the rear window. The City Inn Palace hotel in Ramallah,
where many journalists are based, is regularly fired on.
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