RSF calls for release of three Palestinian journalists

Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières - RSF) called today on Israeli army chief Gen. Shaul Moffaz to release three Arab journalists held by the army for more than a week. RSF secretary-general Robert Ménard said the three – Ahmed Assi, of the London-based Arab TV station ANN (see the picture), Ashraf Farraj (chief editor) and Jalal Hameid (journalist) of the privately-owned Bethlehem TV station Al Rouah, had apparently just being "doing their job as journalists." He noted in a letter to Gen. Moffaz that no explanation had been given for their detention and that RSF was especially concerned because it was not known where Assi was being held. After a fact-finding mission to Israel from 5 to 7 April, RSF said it had counted about 40 cases of obstruction of press freedom by journalists being wounded, arrested, expelled or threatened since the start of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian towns and cities. It accused the Israeli army of having "a deliberate policy of intimidating journalists."   Atta Iweisat, a photographer working for the Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot and the Gamma photo agency (see the picture), was arrested in Ramallah on the morning of 2 April while in the company of foreign journalists. He was forced to kneel handcuffed in pouring rain in the middle of the street, and noticed Assi, also kneeling and handcuffed, a few metres away with some other arrested people. The prisoners were then blindfolded and taken to the Beitunia detention centre, near Ramallah, where they were interrogated. Iweisat was freed at around 4 pm. He did not know what happened to Assi. Farraj and Hameid were arrested by the Israeli army at the press centre in Bethlehem on 3 April with several other journalists. According to Hamdi Farraj, head of Al-Rouah TV, Israeli soldiers destroyed equipment and confiscated film cassettes and portable phones. The other journalists were freed soon afterwards, but Farraj and Hameid were taken to the Beitunia centre where hundreds of Palestinians are reportedly being held. Since the start of the current Israeli offensive, the Israeli army has arrested several Palestinian journalists. Some have been humiliated, while others have been threatened or had their equipment confiscated. Israeli soldiers have also occupied the offices of several local and Arab TV stations. Four Israeli soldiers broke into the offices of Abu Dhabi TV and Nile TV in Ramallah on 8 April by breaking down the door. Asef Hmaidi, Abu Dhabi TV's correspondent in the city, said the soldiers ordered the journalists to lie on the floor. "They damaged everything, the desks, doors, chairs, they checked everything and then, they took the mobile phone from us" he said.