Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers in the West Bank detained a group of journalists from the German television channel ARD.
The TV channel itself informs about this, noting that threats were made against its employees from the military.
The journalists were reportedly returning from an investigation into incidents of violence “by radical settlers against Palestinians.”
Details
In the West Bank, journalists were detained by Israeli soldiers and then “threatened.”
The TV channel interprets this incident as an attack on freedom of the press – TASS.
According to the information provided, the incident occurred near Hebron, the largest city in the southern West Bank.
According to ARD journalist Jan-Christoph Kitzler, the Israeli military was extremely aggressive towards their team.
Correspondents believe that they were detained by soldiers from among the settlers of the area, who were called into reserve.
It is reported that they traveled in a personal vehicle and were wearing civilian hats.
Threats
The soldiers threatened us with weapons and asked if we were Jews. Our colleague was insulted as a traitor,” recalls Kitzler.
The head of the ARD studio in Tel Aviv, Christian Limpert, said that the incident was the second incident in a week.
Our team clearly identified themselves as accredited members of the press and were located away from military security zones. We cannot accept the actions of the Israeli military,” he said.
It is noted that the situation returned to normal only an hour after the arrest, when other military and police officers were called to the scene.
In connection with the incident, the Foreign Press Association in Israel announced its intention to take appropriate measures.
