*Detention draws draws global condemnation
Israeli police have arrested an Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent covering a demonstration in the occupied East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah, drawing sharp condemnation from press freedom advocates and media watchdogs.
Givara Budeiri, the Doha-based media network’s Jerusalem correspondent, was assaulted while being arrested Saturday and her team’s equipment was destroyed.
According to Al Jazeera, Budeiri was reporting on a sit-in marking the 54th anniversary of al-Naksa, meaning “setback”, a term Palestinians use to describe the Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip in 1967.
Sheikh Jarrah has also been the site of demonstrations for weeks in support of Palestinian families facing expulsion to make way for Jewish settlers.
Al Jazeera’s Hoda Abdel Hamid, reporting from occupied East Jerusalem, said Budeiri was arrested for no apparent reason and had been reporting while wearing a jacket with “press” printed on it.
She said Budeiri, a veteran journalist, was arrested even though she had tried to retrieve and show her Israeli-issued press card following a request by police.
“She was being pushed, that continued as she was trying to get her press card. And then as the cameraman was trying to reach her his camera was smashed,” Abdel Hamid said.
“We spoke to several witnesses and they all said there was no reason for that kind of tension and that it was not clear why they decided to specifically go [after] Givara while there were other journalists doing exactly what she was doing,” she said.
An Israeli police statement later said a man and a woman had been arrested because they were “suspected of harassing security forces”.
Israeli police also dispersed dozens of demonstrators who had managed to get to the neighbourhood, which has been closed off.
Barbara Trionfi, of the International Press Institute, expressed shock at the arrest and called for Budeiri’s immediate release.
“It is absolutely appalling,” she told Al Jazeera.
“We have seen a lot of targeted attacks against journalists by the Israeli forces throughout the past weeks and months and this is, unfortunately, not an isolated case,” Trionfi added.
“This type of behaviour by the Israeli forces is absolutely not acceptable.”
Sabrina Bennoui, spokesperson for Reporters Without Borders, told Al Jazeera the arrest was shocking and unacceptable.
“This is a clear violation of press freedom, because this journalist was clearly recognisable as she was wearing a press vest, and there is a clear will from the Israeli authorities to prevent journalists from doing their job and from reporting on the ground,” she said.
On May 15, an Israeli aid raid destroyed a building in the Gaza Strip that housed media offices of Al Jazeera and other outlets during an 11-day bombardment of the coastal enclave.
Commenting on Budeiri’s arrest, Dr Mostefa Souag, acting director general of Al Jazeera Media Network, said: “We condemn the actions of the Israeli occupation forces in the strongest terms. The systematic targeting of our journalists is in total violation of all international conventions. Today’s violent actions by Israeli occupation forces against Givara Budeiri and Nabil Mazzawi are in total disregard for the fundamental human rights of journalists.”
“The silencing of journalists by terrorising them has become a routine activity for the Israeli authorities as witnessed in recent weeks in Gaza and occupied Jerusalem,” Souag added.
So far, at least 14 Palestinian journalists have been detained and placed in administrative detention by Israeli forces in recent weeks, according to Reporters Without Borders.
Most recently, two Palestinian journalists – Zeina Halawani and Wahbe Mikkieh – were assaulted and detained by Israeli forces in Sheikh Jarrah last week.
The pair were held for five days before they were released on bail, and then were placed under house arrest for one month.
Several Palestinian journalists with media cards have been banned from entering Sheikh Jarrah by Israeli police, who claim they require an Israeli Government Press Office (GPO) card.
Israel ranked 86 out of 180 countries, according to CPJ’s World Press Freedom Index for 2021.
“The Israel Defence Forces often violate the rights of Palestinian journalists, especially when they are covering demonstrations … in the West Bank or Gaza Strip,” Reporters Without Borders said.
In a report published last year, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights documented 98 attacks by Israeli forces against journalists in the occupied Palestinian territories.
At least 40 were injured with different bullets, including two who “lost sight in one of their eyes,” the report read.
At least 14 were assaulted with “evidence of cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment,” while another 26 were arrested, it added.
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