Sit-in in Bethlehem to protest the kidnapping of Palestinian Journalist Hassan Abdul Jawad by Israeli Occupation Forces

Wednesday March 12, 2008 12:46 by George Rishmawi - IMEMC News

The Trade Union of Palestinian Journalists organized in Bethlehem a sit-in on Wednesday morning to protest at the kidnapping of the Palestinian journalist Hassan Abdul Jawad from Bethlehem on Monday by the Israeli army.

The protest was attended by a number of local Bethlehem based journalists in addition to the head of the trade union, and a number of Palestinian officials.

Mr. Naeem Tubassi, head of the trade union slammed the kidnapping of Abdul-Jawad and all kinds of assaults against journalists including invading some radio and TV stations in the West Bank, describing it as a violation of the freedom of expression and the fourth Geneva convention.

The journalists carried signs and banners condemning the kidnapping of Abdul-Jawad and demanding his immediate release. The protest was held at the square of the Church of the Nativity.

On Monday, Israeli troops broke into the home of Abdul-Jawad and took him to an undisclosed location, there are now 7 Palestinian journalists in Israeli jails.

Barhoum: Attacking journalists systematic Zionist plan to conceal truth

[ 12/03/2008 - 05:05 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

The Hamas Movement has charged that the Israeli attacks on journalists reflected a systematic plan endorsed by the highest political echelon in the Hebrew state to silence and conceal truth.

Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, saluted the local and international media that carry the truth about what is going on in the occupied Palestinian land. He was speaking at a sit-in staged by the administration of the Sout Al-Quds radio station in Gaza on Wednesday in solidarity with its branch in Jenin, the West Bank, which was ransacked and closed by IOF troops.

The repeated IOF assaults on local and international media fell in line with the IOF "rabid campaign" to silence "voices of freedom" that insist on reporting the truth of IOF soldiers' brutal aggression against the Palestinian people, he elaborated.

He asked the reporters not to be intimidated by such a "mad campaign" and to continue assuming their "sacred duty with transparency, integrity and credibility, and to expose the Israeli occupation's crimes on our lands, identity and people".

Barhoum also asked the international and legal organizations to side by the reporters in Palestine in face of the occupation's schemes aimed at deterring them from reporting the Palestinian people's suffering.

The spokesman finally asked the international unions of writers and media reporters to voice solidarity with the Palestinian media and all reporters targeted by the IOF troops.

Israel boycotts Al-Jazeera in protest over its coverage of Israeli crimes

[ 12/03/2008 - 05:00 PM ]

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)--

Hebrew media outlets reported on Wednesday that the Israeli government decided to boycott the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera satellite channel over its coverage of the Israeli attacks on Gaza.

The Israeli foreign ministry stated that it would send a letter to Qatar in the coming days explaining the reasons for the boycott decision which includes a ban on Al-Jazeera correspondents from entering Israeli government offices or interviewing Israeli officials.

Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni ripped into Al-Jazeera, saying: "When depicting Israeli attacks, Al-Jazeera abuses the situation on the ground by telling lies. Unfortunately, during these attacks, civilians were killed. I am not trying to change facts. But, of course, when it comes to Al-Jazeera, everything is exaggerated."

In conjunction with this arbitrary campaign, PA leadership officials, who are at loggerheads with the Arab channel while maintaining strong relations with Israel, also called for boycotting Al-Jazeera because of its coverage of facts on the ground.

This PA-Israeli boycott campaign against Al-Jazeera came after the channel broadcast scenes of heinous massacres committed by IOF troops in Gaza 10 days ago which resulted in the death of more than 137 Palestinian victims and the injury of 370 others and before that its coverage of the repercussions of the Israeli siege on the Gaza people.

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