PARIS, April 3: The Israeli military is shooting at international journalists, accuses Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF), with at least 11 journalists coming under particularly heavy gunfire in recent days, and three of them being severely wounded.

The stepped-up violence against the international press coincides, notes RSF, with the designation of Ramallah as a “closed military zone” and the banning of the media from the West Bank city, “the first such ban since the start of the second Intifada in September 2000,” says RSF, which also notes that the total number of journalists who have been gravely wounded — most by the Israeli army — has now reached 52

Three other journalists have been summarily expelled from Ramallah, it notes, bringing to “about 30” the number of journalists Israeli troops have either fired on, expelled or arrested, in the last few days.

Calling the ban on journalists “a serious new attack on press freedom in a situation that has steadily worsened over the past few months,” RSF secretary-general Robert Minard called today on the Israeli civilian authorities to “cancel the ban immediately.”

“Allowing the Israeli occupation of Ramallah to take place without media witnesses is to foment rumours and disinformation,” he said.

The RSF is also concerned that the army’s media ban will be extended to Bethlehem.