May 7, 2002	Tuesday	Safar 23, 1423

PARIS, May 6: In the first special bulletin issued since it published its annual report on Friday to coincide with International Press Freedom Day, Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) has demanded of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that Israel not only “stop attacking freedom of the press”, but also that it immediately release seven Palestinian journalists who were arrested because they were Palestinian.

In a personal plea made directly to the Israeli premier, the RSF noted that “as we celebrate the 12th International Press Freedom Day, we ask you to cease attacking journalists, especially those who are Palestinian”.

In the letter written to Mr Sharon, RSF secretary-general Robert Menard noted that “the seven journalists whom Israel is still holding were apparently just doing their job”.

He also indicated that at least 20 Palestinian journalists had been arrested since the start of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian towns and cities on March 29.

The seven journalists are: Jalal Hameid, of the privately-owned Bethlehem TV station Al-Rouah, Maher el-Dessuki, of Al-Quds Educational TV, Kamal Ali Jbeil, of the daily Al-Quds, Hussam Abu Alan, a photographer for Agence France-Presse (AFP), Iyyad el-Juneidi, managing editor of the Hebron TV station Al-Mostaqbal, Yusri el-Jamal, a Reuters sound man, and Ayman el-Kawasmi, head of the local radio station El Horriya.

Sound man Jamal and Mazen Dana, a Reuters cameraman, were seized on April 30 while they were filming outside a hospital. The Israeli soldiers took the two men’s press and ID cards, blindfolded and handcuffed them and put them in an Israeli tank, and took them to the district coordination office.

On the way, adds RSF, the Palestinian journalists were “humiliated and threatened” by the Tsahal (Israeli army) soldiers.

According to Dana, says RSF, “one of them pointed a gun at his head and asked him: ‘How do you want to die?’ Then, when they got to the office, they were forced to lie on the floor for several hours without food or drink. Dana was interrogated next morning, received apologies and was freed, but Jamal was held prisoner.”

Also on April 30, says RSF spokesman Virginie Locussol, Kawasmi was arrested at his home and also taken, handcuffed and blindfolded, to the district coordination office. The next day, he was taken to the Ofer detention centre, near Ramallah. Soldiers also destroyed all the radio station’s equipment.

On April 29, Juneidi was arrested at his TV station by Israeli soldiers who smashed its equipment and blindfolded and handcuffed him. He is also being held at the Ofer centre.

Photographer Alan was arrested on April 24 April at the Beit Anun checkpoint near Hebron. Along with Reuters cameraman Dana and other journalists, he was going to Bani Naim to cover the funeral of two Palestinians. Alan was blindfolded and handcuffed and taken to an Israeli tank. Dana was freed a few hours later.

It is not known where Alan, who lives in Hebronand has worked for AFP for seven years, is being held. Like most Palestinian journalists, he has not been able to get his Israeli press card renewed since the beginning of the year.

Dessuki and Jbeli were arrested by Israeli soldiers on April 18 and are being held at the Ofer centre.

Hameid, along with Ashraf Farraj, Al-Rouah’s chief editor, were arrested on 3 April at the press centre in Bethlehem with several other journalists, who were soon freed, according to Al-Rouah boss Hamdi Farraj, while the other two were taken to the Beitunia detention centre near Ramallah. Ashraf Farraj was freed on April 24 but Hameid is still being held.

On May 3 RSF, in its annual report on freedom of the press around the world, had criticized Israel for its large-scale violation of the rights of journalists attempting to work in the Palestinian territories, indeed highlighted the case of 45 journalists who were “injured by bullets” while attempting to do their work.

The annual report also noted that as for Palestinian journalists, the majority of those injured by gunfire from Tsahal, they have experienced more and more problems in moving about between the different territories. Israeli authorities were criticised too for the “superficial and partial conclusions” of their inquiries into press complaints, conclusions that “deny all responsibility by Tsahal.”

Also, notes the annual report, as a result of the obvious decision by Tsahal to declare its open war on journalists, shooting upon them as if they were also “terrorists,” the wholesale expression used by the Israeli army to characterize the people they choose to shoot at, often to kill in cold blood, RSF has decided to add to its list of Predators of Press Freedom the name of General Shaul Moffaz, the Israeli Army chief-of-staff, held largely responsible for the shootings and the blockage of official inquiries into the death of one journalist and the injuring of several dozen others.