Published on 26 May 2010

At least three Palestinian journalists have been physically attacked by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank in the past 10 days while a Palestinian journalist and an Israeli journalist have been arrested.

“The incidents are increasing,” Reporters Without Borders said. “More than 30 journalists have been physically attacked and injured by members of the Israel Defence Forces since the start of the year. We again call on the IDF to investigate these cases and punish the soldiers responsible.”

In one of the latest incidents, Israeli soldiers fired a tear-gas grenade at Youssef Shaheen, a cameraman with the satellite TV station Al-Quds, on 23 May while he was covering the weekly protest against the Israeli separation wall in Beit Jala (a village 10 km south of Jerusalem). He was overcome by gas and was rushed to a hospital for treatment.

Israeli soldiers also fired a tear-gas grenade at Harun Amayra, the correspondent of the government newspaper Falestin, while he was covering the weekly protest against the separation wall in Bili’n, near Ramallah, on 14 May. Amayra was already attacked twice by Israeli soldiers in March (http://en.rsf.org/israel-palestinian-journalists-repeatedly-01-04-2010,36916.html).

While filming participants in the 14 May protest, Alaa Abou Al-Saoud, a cameraman with the satellite TV station Al-Sharqia, was detained by Israeli soldiers and was not released until about 9 p.m., after questioning.

Ahmed Frage of the daily Al-Ayyam was travelling to work in Ramallah by taxi at midday on 15 May when Israeli soldiers at the Hazma checkpoint asked him to show his ID. Frage responded by showing them both his ID card and his press card. As soon as the soldiers realised he was a journalist, they made him get out of the taxi and they hit him. Doctors told him to take a week off work because of the serious injuries he received.

Israeli photo-journalist Israel Poterman was detained by Israeli soldiers while covering the weekly demonstration against the separation wall in Bili’n on 21 May.