Giornalisti arrestati, equipaggiamento distrutto e cassette confiscate dall' IDF a Betlemme.

Media 19 has learned that the journalists who were believed to be trapped inside the press centre in Bethlehem Municipality were in fact arrested by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and transported Thursday morning to the military Headquarters at Kefar Etzion near Bethlehem. Thursday afternoon three of the journalists were released from Israeli detention and three more were let go the same evening. 10 journalists remain in detention at Kefar Etzion. The above information was forwarded to Media 19 by Hamdi Farraj, Head of the Palestinian TV station Al-rouah, who spoke to a very upset Said Ayyad of the Voice of Palestine, one of the released journalists.

According to Ayyad there were 16 journalists inside the Press Centre at the Bethlehem Municipality building early Wednesday morning when soldiers of IDF forced their way into the building by blowing up its doors, giving them 15 minutes to leave. Since all of Bethlehem was under curfew and there was heavy shooting outside none of the journalists dared to leave the building.

The journalists were then handcuffed, their mobile telephones were confiscated along with tapes, and their cameras and equipment were destroyed by IDF soldiers. Furthermore, Ayyad says that they were confined to a room of 4 X 5 m. At 10.00 p.m. Wednesday, the 16 were later taken to Chairman Arafat's Palace near the former Palestinian Military HQ in Bethlehem and placed inside a very cold room making it impossible to sleep. The journalists had their hands and legs cuffed and were hardly given any food, Ayyad continues. Only three at a time were released from their handcuffs to be able to eat.

Ayyad told Farraj that he several times told the soldiers that they were journalists and asked why they were treated so badly. The IDF soldiers replied that they were prisoners of war.

Around 11.00 a.m. Thursday morning the journalists were taken to the District Coordination Office in Beit Jala, and from there to Israeli Military HQ near Kefar Etzion, south of Bethlehem, where Ayyam says they were blindfolded and detained. Thursday afternoon 3 of the 16, Said Ayyid (journalist, Voice of Palestine), Walid Abu Alia (photographer, Al-rouah TV), Ahmad Mezher (photographer, Al-Mahed TV) were released, and the same evening 3 more, Mustafa Salah (editor, Al-rouah TV), Ala Daoud (technical operator, Al-rouah TV), and Ala al-Abed (Palestine Broadcasting Corporation) were let go.

Wednesday morning, IDF told Media 19 that they were only trying to rescue the journalists, and that they were free to go. Thursday, IDF denied that they were trying to rescue the journalists, but said that those inside the Municipality building were free to go. The IDF also said that because the journalists refused to leave they had to confine them to one room.

When asked about why the journalists were taken prisoners the IDF replied that Bethlehem is a closed military zone and that no journalists, regardless of nationality, are allowed to be there. When asked why not all 16 have been released IDF merely said that it was their choice to stay or leave. When
asked about when the remaining 10 might be released, IDF said they did not know and added that because terrorists on earlier occasions have used a journalist cover IDF could not know whether the captured men really were journalists.

When Media 19 asked about the destruction of production equipment the spokesperson with IDF´s information centre said they did not know anything about that.

Contact information:
MEDIA 19

Gunhild Louise Forselv
Producer and Middle East coordinator
Mob +972 50 631 338
gunhild@egne.no

Jan Henry S. Fosse
Information manager Media 19
Office: +47 22 98 78 59
Mob: +47 41 27 45 24
Fax: +47 41 37 21 57
jh.fosse@media19.org

http://www.media19.org

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