Palestine: Israeli soldiers attack TV journalists

On Thursday 20 October, Israeli soldiers violently stopped a team of journalists from Palestine TV reporting live on the streets from entering the town of Azzun. Journalist Ahmad Shawar and his cameraman Muhammad Enaya were beaten and weapons were pointed at them. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) strongly condemns the attacks and calls on Israeli authorities to let journalists carry out their duty without any form of intimidation.

Israeli army soldiers confront journalists approaching the Israeli-controlled Huwara checkpoint near Nablus in the occupied West Bank. JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP

This is not an isolated case.

On 13 October, the Palestinian Journalists' Union condemned the continued systematic targeting of journalists following an attack, against photojournalists. On 5 October the IFJ issued a statement condemning the shooting of two Palestinians by Israeli bullets. These attacks come in the context of increasing violence perpetuated by Israeli forces on Palestinian journalists. 

IFJ General Secretary, Anthony Bellanger, said "We condemn this dangerous and illegal treatment of Palestinian journalists by Israeli soldiers under international law. Israeli government must take immediate actions to prevent such attacks on working journalists from happening again.

The Federation has also urged media professionals to follow basic safety guidelines when reporting and called on palestinian media to ensure their staff receive proper safety training, including freelancers.

For more information, please contact IFJ on +32 2 235 22 16

The IFJ represents more than 600,000 journalists in 146 countries

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