The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) condemns  the Israeli occupation forces detention  of Watan local TV crew (reporter Nizar Habash, reporter Nadia Sarsour, cameraman Khalid Melhem, cameraman Suleiman Abu Sorour, crew assistant Ibrahim Badwan) this afternoon, near Sorda  village north of Ramallah city.
Nizar Habash said that they were at Bir Zeit University, when they learned about movable checkpoint placed by the Israeli occupation forces near Sorda village, and headed there at around 12:00pm to cover the suffering of the people at the checkpoint. When they arrived there, coming down from the car, prepared for filming, the Israeli soldiers prevented them of filming, confiscated the camera battery, screamed at them, and told them that they were being held here. After half an hour, they told the soldiers that they will inform the media about their detention, so they released them, returned the battery, and told them that they would be arrested if they filming at the checkpoint.

MADA considered the detention of Watan crew and preventing them from filming, a blatant violation of media freedoms, and calls upon the international community to put pressure on the Government of Israel to cease its violations of freedom of speech in Palestine.