ARD team threatened by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank
An ARD team has been temporarily detained and threatened by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank. The incident was reported on "tagesschau.de" and "BR24" on Sunday evening: Correspondent Jan-Christoph Kitzler was reportedly on his way back from an interview with a Palestinian employee as well as a German employee when they were stopped by Israeli soldiers south of the Palestinian city of Hebron. According to the report, the soldiers behaved extremely aggressively towards the journalists and weapons were held in the team vehicle on several occasions. Bayerischer Rundfunk, which operates the ARD studio in Tel Aviv, regards the incident as an attack on press freedom.
When asked on Monday morning, the Israeli military stated that the actions of the soldiers had been investigated after the incident and that the regulations had been reaffirmed. The army apologized "for any inconvenience caused".
Insulted as a traitor
According to the report, the ARD team was on its way to report on violence by radical Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. "The soldiers threatened us with their weapons and asked us if we were Jewish. Our colleague was insulted as a traitor," correspondent Kitzler is quoted as saying. The situation only eased after more than an hour, after other soldiers and police were called in.
"This is the second incident in a week for us. Our team clearly identified itself as accredited press representatives and was far away from military security areas," said the head of the ARD studio, Christian Limpert. "We cannot accept the actions of the Israeli military."
The Association of Foreign Press in Israel had already called on the Israeli army to ensure the safety of journalists at the end of October and reported two incidents in the West Bank in which soldiers had harassed reporters. In one of these, ARD employees were also affected.
- The incident sparked significant controversy in the media, with many outlets discussing the threats against the ARD team as a violation of press freedom.
- Amidst the escalating conflicts in the West Bank, the role of the media in reporting on the situation and holding influencial figures accountable has become increasingly important, with incidents like this underscoring the need for protection and understanding.
Source: www.dpa.com
