Israeli soldiers assault two Reuters cameramen
(Reuters) – 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.
The soldiers forced them to leave the vehicle and punched them, striking them with the butts of their guns. They accused them of working for an Israeli NGO, B’Tselem, which documents human rights violations in the occupied West Bank, the Reuters cameramen said.
Locals say B’Tselem has given a number of Palestinians video cameras so they can film soldiers and settlers who live in this divided city. The NGO was not immediately available for comment.
The soldiers did not let the men produce their official ID papers and forced them to strip down to their underwear, making them kneel on the road with their hands behind their heads, the cameramen said.
Two other Palestinian journalists working for local news organizations, including a satellite television station affiliated to the Islamist group Hamas, were also stopped and forced to the ground.
One of the soldiers then dropped a tear gas canister between the men and the IDF patrol ran away. The four journalists scrambled clear and Jamal and Wazwaz got to their car, which had rapidly filled up with tear gas, they said.
They tried to drive away, but said they only got around 200 meters before they had to stop and exit the vehicle because of the choking gas. The soldiers then fired more tear gas in their direction.
The Jack Blood Show – May 30 2012
Jack Blood wades through the sludge that is breaking news – all of it on www.deadlinelive.info: TX primary updates, Sean Hannity thinks you are un-American if you question the attack on the USS Liberty, and Sen McCain. Turkey rules IDF Guilty for Flotilla massacre – convicts with 18,000 years prison time (don’t piss of the Turks) etc… HOUR 2: We are joined by web activist Bob Tuskin (www.bobtuskin.com) and we discuss the Bilderberg conf, LSD, JFK, Zombies, 911 suspicious deaths, and the phony war on Drugs. (share it – DONATE TO OUR LIVE CHIP IN TO GET MORE OF THESE ARCHIVES FOR FREE – WE SERIOUSLY NEED YOUR HELP ASAP!)
