Israeli Soldiers Beat Reuters Photographers;Punch Journalists and Set Off Tear Gas in Hebron

[Purveyor]

HEBRON, WEST BANK — Israeli soldiers punched two Reuters cameramen and forced them to strip in the street, before letting off a tear gas canister in front of them, leaving one of them needing hospital treatment.

Israel’s military said on Thursday it took the allegations seriously, but offered no explanation for the assault that occurred on Wednesday evening in the heart of Hebron.

“The regional brigade commander was ordered to open an investigation,” Israeli Defense Forces spokeswoman Avital Leibovich said in an email. No further information will be provided until the investigation is complete.

Yousri Al Jamal and Ma’amoun Wazwaz said a foot patrol stopped them as they were driving to a nearby checkpoint where a Palestinian teenager had just been shot dead by an Israeli border guard.

Their car was clearly marked ‘TV’ and they were both wearing blue flak jackets with ‘Press’ emblazoned on the front.


Read more: http://forward.com/articles/167681/israeli-soldiers-beat-reuters-photographers/#ixzz2Ezup8vdy

[ForgoTheConsequence]

1. This thread should go well.

Oh well, I'll wait for the usual crowd to come defend the indefensible.

[azurnoir]

2. I wondered if it was related to the death of Muhammad Ziad Awad Salaymah

however there have been complaints that camera's interfere with IDF's actions vis a vis Palestinians in the West Bank

[Tempest]

4. The "interference" is their presence

Israel doesn't want their war crimes broadcasted.

[azurnoir]

7. this is first open attack on journalists in the West Bank I've heard of in sometime

but related

http://972mag.com/idf-soldier-cameras-are-our-kryptonite/61849/

and posted as a thread here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/113425441

[Tempest]

3. Can someone tell me who the real terrorists are?

Because every day it's getting harder and harder to tell the difference between the two.

[King_David]

5. Ok , you asked?

[kayecy]

12. Of course you were replying to a particular poster but.............

Of course you were replying to a particular poster but.............to then completely ignore the contents of the lead article in this case is strange....Have you no comment at all to make on the article?.........Does the alleged IDF action seem reasonable to you?

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

34. Shushhhhhhh

Don't bother King D to actually have to come out of his cocoon and see both sides of reality. His cocoon is warm and comfy.

[Tempest]

20. Since you brought that up

Do you know who is responsible for the first organized terrorist attack in the Middle East?

It was the bombing of a hotel, if that helps.

[oberliner]

22. Was the 1929 massacre of the Jews of Hebron not an organized terrorist attack?

Or perhaps that was just your run of the mill anti-Jewish violence, which was in vogue in various parts of the world in those days.

[kayecy]

23. Were the 1929 riots organized?.......If so who organized them?.......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1929_Palestine_riots

A commission of enquiry led by Sir Walter Shaw took public evidence for several weeks. The main conclusions of the Commission were as follows:

- The outbreak in Jerusalem on the 23rd of August was from the beginning an attack by Arabs on Jews for which no excuse in the form of earlier murders by Jews has been established.

- The outbreak was not premeditated.

- [In his activities connected to the dispute over the Holy Places] the Mufti was influenced by the twofold desire to confront the Jews and to mobilize Moslem opinion on the issue of the Wailing Wall. He had no intention of utilizing this religious campaign as the means of inciting to disorder

- ...in the matter of innovations of practice [at the Wailing Wall] little blame can be attached to the Mufti in which some Jewish religious authorities also would not have to share. ...no connection has been established between the Mufti and the work of those who either are known or are thought to have engaged in agitation or incitement

The bold is my addition.

[oberliner]

24. That's the British version, circa 1930

Everything you've cited here from the Wikipedia comes from the Shaw Report.

The report also says: No blame can be properly attached to the British government for failing to provide armed reinforcements, withholding of fire, and similar charges.

[kayecy]

26. So?...I ask you again.....Who did organize the 1929 riots?.......

So far you have told us nothing that was not in my last post.....My quotes were from the Shaw Report.....The Shaw report was British......So?.......You have a more credible source?

You seem to suggest that the Shaw report was wrong, biased or for some other reason, should be ignored......What eveidence have you for suggesting that?...Why is your source more credible than the Shaw report?

[King_David]

30. Organized or not..

It was a despicable cowardly terrorist attack .

[kayecy]

32. But you don't mention what drove the Arabs to rioting.......

The Arabs were fighting to stop a flood of Jewish immigrants whose leaders were bent on subjugating the indigenous inhabitants of Palestine and creating a Jewish-majority state.

Would any other 20th century community have accepted such a thing without rioting?

[King_David]

33. It was a horrible terror attack in the Jews. nt

[King_David]

27. Not true, and that's relevant to 2012 and what going on now ?

1929 Hebron massacre

Was wayy before ..

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1929_Hebron_massacre

[kayecy]

28. Tempest said......."who is responsible for the first organized terrorist attack" .........

Was 1929 Hebron organized?.......If so, by whom?

[King_David]

29. Probably was organized

But so what ?



It was a despicable terrorist event ...

[kayecy]

31. If it was not organized it was not terrorist event.......

Were the participants in the 1921 Jaffa riots terrorists?.......(47 Jews and 49 Arabs were killed and several hundred wounded).......Who were the 'terrorists' and who the 'victims'........What is your definition of a "terrorist event"?

[KimonoGirl]

13. Who can tell anymore?

Disgusting behaviour from both sides. This is just the latest example that shits all over the Zionists' pity party and their holier than thou attitudes.

[azurnoir]

6. It seems we have a 'new' agenda here

everytime someone posts something that is uncomplimentary to Israel's actions the ProIsrael set will post something done by the Palestinians in an attempt to distract

[holdencaufield]

8. Luckily ...

... there are just so many darn good examples from which those pro-Israel guys can chose.

But, I'm glad to see that it's now acceptable to compare Israelis to Nazis on DU after being taboo for so long.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/113425722

It allows everyone to see what people really think and doesn't force anti-semites to be circumspect and obtuse when they are writing their posts. Win-win

[azurnoir]

9. so you really feel it is acceptable to compare Israeli's to Nazi's I guess we differ

on that too

[holdencaufield]

10. Acceptable? No

Useful, absolutely. Frankly I'm tired of people having to pussy-foot around their true feeling when it comes to the people who inhabit Israel and use the "Z-word" when they truly want to say the "J-word". I prefer honesty to circumspection.

And it's useful to know who is who these days.

[kayecy]

11. Here we go again........Introducing another red herring ........

Not a word of condemnation of the activities described in the lead article, not even a comment.........Just the introduction of a red herring and a reference to a disgusting article.

Come clean and tell us what you do think of the alleged IDF actions in this article?

[azurnoir]

14. I think his opinion is being expressed quite eloquently here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/113425659

[Purveyor]

15. I guess just trashing the 'sources' of articles posted wasn't working out so well for them. eom

[azurnoir]

16. the soldiers thought they were from B'tselem there to report on the death of Muhammad Sala

IDF soldiers assault Reuters journalists after mistaking them for human rights workers

Soldiers beat cameramen in Hebron after suspecting that they work for B’Tselem. Recent years have seen an organized campaign by mainstream Israeli journalists and politicians against human rights organizations in Israel and the West Bank.

Reuters reported that two of its cameramen were abused by IDF soldiers in Hebron on Wednesday night. The men were stripped, beaten, and made to breathe tear gas at a very close range. The soldiers also took one of their cameras, which was later found unharmed nearby. The incident took place shortly after a local teenager was shot to death by a Border Police soldier at a Hebron checkpoint

http://972mag.com/idf-soldiers-assault-reuters-journalists-steal-camera/62001/

[geek tragedy]

17. So, how does the IDF's hierarchy of human rights work?

I guess journalists are one rung above human rights workers.

But are human rights workers considered above Palestinians, or below them due to the fact that they're considered traitors for insisting that Palestinians be treated as human beings?

[oberliner]

18. It's not the IDF, it's two jackasses

Hopefully they will get the punishment they deserve for their actions.

[azurnoir]

21. ya but what struck me was the way it seemed like thinking they were B'tselem

made it understandable or something

[oberliner]

25. Yes - that was an odd thing to say

Again, I hope they get punished for this.

[azurnoir]

19. well I don't know if I'd put it in quite that manner

but it was a B'tselem project that put camera's into the hands of West Bank Palestinians so perhaps there's a grudge or something