MADA strongly condemns two incidents in which the Israeli army detained Najeh Hashlamoun and Muheeb Albarghouti and prevented them from taking photographs.
(MADA/IFEX) – 25 April 2010 – The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) strongly condemns the Israeli attacks on journalists during the last two days, in the Hebron and Ramallah areas. On 24 April 2010, the Israeli occupation army detained ABA photographer Najeh Hashlamoun and prevented him from filming in Biet Omar in Hebron. They also arrested Alhayat Aljadedah photographer Muheeb Albarghouti, and attacked AFP photographer Abbas Moumni in Bila’n weekly march last Friday.
Hashlamoun said that he went to cover confrontations between the Israeli army and Palestinians on 24 April, after the Israeli occupation authority confiscated agricultural land in the village of Biet Omar, north of Hebron city. While he was filming, a soldier approached him, took his camera and forced him to sit on the ground near the Israeli soldiers. After about 45 minutes, they gave him his camera and ordered him to leave the area.
Albarghouti said that he went to cover Bila’n weekly march near Ramallah on 23 April, and while he was taking photographs, a group of Israeli soldiers approached him and arrested him, and they also arrested four Israelis, and took them to a investigation center near Bila’n. Albarghouti added: “There, they asked me to sign a paper which prevents me from entering Bila’n for two weeks, but I refused. And after half an hour, they took us to another place and they detained us from 2:00 p.m. until 8:00 a.m. the next day.
Moumni said that he was injured by a rubber bullet in his leg on the same day and place, but the injury was minor.
