The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) condemns
renewed attacks by Israeli forces on journalists in the West Bank,

yesterday (5 March), where they attacked six journalists covering the
clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian demonstrators in Jerusalem
and Hebron: AP photographer Mahfouz Abu Turk, Al-Quds newspaper
photographer Mahmoud Alian, European Agency for Press Photography ((EPA)
photographer Abdel-Hafiz Hashlamoun, Palmedia cameraman Abdul Ghani Natshe,
Quds TV correspondent Akram Natshe, and Palestinian Public TV cameraman
Mohamed Hmeidat. Agency France Press photographer Ahmad Gharabli was
injured by a young Palestinian stone .

Abu Turk said that he was covering clashes between Palestinian youths and
Israeli security forces in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Mosque when he was hit
by a rubber bullet at the top of his right leg, a rubber bullet hit the
camera lens, and broke it, and another bullet hit the other lens, which was
in his pocket. He added “Obviously they were firing at deliberately, and a
police officer tried to grab my camera, but I did allow him to do so, and I
moved to cover from elsewhere".

Alian said that he was wounded by a rubber bullet in his right leg in
Al-Aqsa courtyard, and was treated at the scene.

Gharabli said that he was wounded in the head by a stone thrown by young
Palestinian during the confrontations.

Hashlamoun said that he was covering clashes near the Ibrahimi Mosque in
Hebron, when soldiers beat him and pushed him into a nearby wall, breaking
his camera, “They tried to stop us from covering the clashes between
Israeli forces and young people, where soldiers have launched sound and
tear gas bombs “.

Abdul Ghani Natshe said that he was doing (stand) for Quds TV
correspondent Akram Natshe near the Ibrahimi Mosque, when a group of
soldiers attacked us, they beat us with their hands and kicked us when we
fell on the ground, then they expelled us with other journalists from the
place.
Palestine TV cameraman Mohammed Hmeidat who was also in scene, said that
the soldiers beat him with their hands and kicked him and they severely
withdraw him away from the scene, “They were deliberately insulting us and
cause us harm, where I still have difficulty sitting due to the beating
effects."

MADA Center considers the targeting and abuse of journalists, a flagrant
violation of freedom of expression, and calls upon the international
community to exercise real press on Israel to stop the continuing attacks
on journalists.
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For more information:
Riham Abu Eita
Coordinator of Public Relations
Ramallah
info@madacenter.org
madapalestine@yahoo.com
www.madacenter.org
00970 2 2976519