Israel briefly detains Washington Post journalists
Israel briefly detains two Post journalists, calls it an ‘unfortunate misunderstanding’
(about 1 hour later)
JERUSALEM — Israeli border police on Tuesday briefly detained a pair of Washington Post journalists, including the newspaper’s bureau chief, as they were reporting on recent violence in east Jerusalem. The men were quickly released and the Israeli government issued an apology.
Israeli authorities briefly detained two Washington Post journalists Tuesday, an incident the government said was "probably the result of an unfortunate misunderstanding."
The incident came against the backdrop of a series of tense encounters between Israeli authorities and the international media. Officials have accused the foreign media of anti-Israel bias in coverage of the past five months of violence between Israel and the Palestinians.
William Booth, The Post's Jerusalem bureau chief, and Sufian Taha, a reporter, were conducting interviews at Damascus Gate in the holy city when Israeli border police detained them for roughly half an hour.
The Post’s Jerusalem bureau chief, William Booth, said he was interviewing Palestinian youths at Damascus Gate, an entrance to Jerusalem’s Old City, when he and the paper’s West Bank correspondent, Sufian Taha, were detained. The area has been the scene of violence in recent days.
"While they have now been released, we regard the detention of any of our journalists anywhere as extremely troubling," Post Foreign Editor Douglas Jehl said in a statement.
Booth said that after presenting their government-issued press cards to an officer, he and Taha were taken to a police station and held for roughly half an hour before they were released. He said an officer told them they had been suspected of “incitement,” but said there had been a misunderstanding and freed them. He said there was no questioning or rough treatment.
The two journalists — who have government-issued press cards — were reporting on a recent spasm of violence and were interviewing Palestinian youths at Damascus Gate when they were detained. They were held without questioning at a police station for about 30 minutes before being released.
“I thought it was a misunderstanding that would be solved in five minutes, but it was a misunderstanding that was solved in 45 minutes,” he said.
Israel's Government Press Office quickly apologized in a statement, saying: "Freedom of the press is a supreme value in the Israeli democracy. Israel is doing its utmost to enable the foreign press to work freely, without any pressure. We call upon the security forces and journalists to act with restraint and to avoid confrontations during these tense times. The GPO endeavors to prevent such incidents; we shall examine today’s events and draw the necessary conclusions."
The Israeli police said a passer-by had complained that people in the area were “directing Arab youths to stage provocations” in the area and that a number of suspects were detained. “Once the circumstances were clarified and there was no suspicion of criminal activity, the detained were immediately released,” police said.
The Associated Press noted that "the incident came against the backdrop of a series of tense encounters between Israeli authorities and the international media. Officials have accused the foreign media of anti-Israel bias in coverage of the past five months of violence between Israel and the Palestinians."
The Israeli government moved quickly to distance itself from the officer. The Israeli Foreign Ministry called the incident “regrettable,” and Nitzan Chen, director of the Government Press Office, said Booth was “unnecessarily detained ... probably the result of an unfortunate understanding.”
Earlier this month, an Israeli police officer was killed in Jerusalem in what appeared to be the first coordinated Palestinian attack against Israeli security forces.
“Freedom of the press is a supreme value in the Israeli democracy,” he said. “Israel is doing its utmost to enable the foreign press to work freely, without any pressure. We call upon the security forces and journalists to act with restraint and to avoid confrontations during these tense times.”
The Israeli Foreign Ministry called it "a regrettable incident, casting an unnecessary shadow over the work of an excellent journalist."
In Germany, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said Israel is committed to freedom of the press.
Booth has served as The Post's bureau chief in Mexico, Miami and Los Angeles.
The Israeli border police serve on the front lines of violent protests. It is known for its sometimes heavy-handed crowd-control tactics and has a history of clashing with journalists in conflict zones.
He and Taha were detained exactly one month after The Post's Tehran correspondent, Jason Rezaian, was freed by Iranian authorities after more than 500 days in captivity. Rezaian was detained in July 2014 and was finally released from prison last month as part of a deal with the U.S. government.
In recent months, the Israeli government has stepped up its criticism of the international media, claiming there has been anti-Israel bias as the country takes on a wave of Palestinian violence. Last week, the Israeli parliament held a special hearing to discuss the international media’s coverage of Israel.
In a statement, the Foreign Press Association, which represents international media organizations operating in Israel and the Palestinian territories, protested the detentions.
“We do not think it is coincidental that a baseless accusation of ‘incitement’ was made at a time when blanket accusations of bias are being leveled against the foreign press by Israeli officials and commentators,” it said.
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