More Israeli Attacks Against Palestinian Reporters in the West Bank

Thursday February 11, 2010 02:30 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Palestinian reporters, either working for local or international agencies, were repeatedly subjected to attacks by the Israeli army, but recently such attacks witnessed a sharp increase leading to injuries, damage to equipment, and to preventing them from performing their duty.

Over the past two days, three Palestinian reporters were attacked and wounded while reporting from the Shu’afat refugee camp, in Jerusalem, as the army invaded it.

The three were identified as Ata Owaisat and Mahmoud Olayyan – both working with the Al-Quds newspaper, and Ahmed Gharabela of the French Press Agency. The soldiers also tried to destroys their cameras.

Soldiers also attacked Diala Juwaihan, a reporter and camerawoman working for the Al Quds Net, and CNN cameraman Karim Khader. The two were also reporting from the Shu’afat refugee camp.

Juwaihan was hit by a concussion grenade in her back; she lost consciousness and was moved to Al Maqassed Hospital in Jerusalem.

She suffered burns and concussions in her back, thighs and her right arm.
CNN cameraman, Karim Khader, was hit by a rubber-coated bullet fired by the army.

Samir Abu Gharbiyya, a reporter working for Al-Jazeera English was accidentally hit in the head by a stone hurled by a Palestinian at Israeli soldiers invading Shu’afat refugee camp.

Several reporters were subjected to repeated attacks by the Israeli soldiers during army invasions targeting Burin and Iraq-Burin south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus.

Soldiers violently attacked Ashraf Abu Shaweeh, Hassan Al-Ateety, Abdul-Rahim Qosabny, Nidal Eshtiyya, Ala’ Badarna, Rami Swaidan, Ja’afar Eshtiyya, and Aref Tuffaha.

Also, reporter Nasser Eshtiyya was hit by a stone hurled by a Palestinian during clashes with Israeli soldiers invading Dair Nidham village.

The Palestinian Journalists Forum slammed the Israeli attacks against the reporters and the ongoing violations against their rights.

The Forum called on the International Journalists Forum, human right and legal groups to intervene and stop the violations and attacks against the reporters.