The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has joined its affiliate, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) to condemn a brutal attack by Israeli forces on a Palestinian TV crew in Shufat Refugee Camp, near Jerusalem, this morning.
According to the PJS, reporter Christine Rinawi and cameramen Ali Yasin and Ahmad Gharabbli, who work for Palestine state TV, were covering a confrontation between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians in the camp when the Israeli soldiers fired gas canisters, stun grenades and rubber coated bullets towards them.
Rinawi was shot in the shoulder, while Yasin suffered a hand injury. “We join with our colleagues in Palestine to condemn this vicious and unwarranted attack against these journalists,” said IFJ President Jim Boumelha.
“The blatant disregard of the Israeli government and its forces for the rights, freedom and lives of Palestinian journalists must end now.”
This is the latest in a series of attacks by Israeli forces against Palestinian journalists. At the beginning of June the IFJ issued a statement calling on the Israeli government to end its policy of preventing journalists from covering events in Jerusalem following attacks by Israeli police against international and Palestinian journalists on Jerusalem Day.
The PJS has called on the international community to put pressure on the Israeli government to stop these assaults and keep its forces in check, stating that Israel’s policy of intimidation and aggression against journalists covering events in Jerusalem continues unabated.
“Media freedom is being undermined, basic human rights are being blatantly ignored and Palestinian journalists are being injured and killed for no other reason than they are doing their jobs and reporting the truth,” continued Boumelha.
“There can be no more bloodshed; the government of Israel must end this scandalous abuse of power immediately.”
Source: IFJ