I feel a special obligation to forward this to as many people as possible,
since I know the journalists who were shot, especially Na'el, who was shot
in the head and then shot again when he was already on the ground. I have
contacted the Committee to Protect Journalists in the hopes that they will
make a loud public protest. Any other ideas on how to make this as big a
scandal as possible -- or fadiha as they say in Arabic -- are welcome. -bob
naiman
===== Original Message from LAW@SMTP {[EMAIL PROTECTED]} at 3/18/98 5:03
pm
>PALESTINIAN JOURNALISTS TARGETED BY ISRAELI ARMY
>
>EIGHT WOUNDED BY RUBBER COATED METAL BULLETS
>
>16 March 1998
>
>On Friday, 13 March, eight Palestinian journalists were shot and
>wounded by the Israeli army while covering clashes between
>Palestinians and the Israeli army in the Old City of Hebron, following
>the fatal shooting of three Palestinian workers at a checkpoint into
>Hebron. Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli soldiers intentionally
>targeted the journalists. The journalists state that they were 20
>meters from the soldiers, and some 200 meters from the demonstrators,
>when they were hit repeatedly by the rubber coated metal bullets.
>
>One journalist, Na'el Shiyouki, a sound technician for Reuters TV, was
>hit four times by the bullets. He was shot once in the head and,
>while down, video footage shows him being hit another two times, in
>the leg and stomach. The journalists say that they shouted, in Hebrew
>and English, that they were journalists and not to shoot. The Israeli
>soldiers continued shooting towards the journalists, and wounded
>another seven journalists, including several trying to aid the
>wounded.
>
>In a separate incident on the same day, photojournalist Khaled Zighari
>and Farid Arazem were also shot and wounded while taking photos of
>paramedics transferring wounded Palestinians.
>
>The Israeli army and illegal Jewish settlers in the Occupied
>Palestinian territories have increasingly targeted Palestinian
>journalists. An estimated number of 45 journalists have been wounded
>since the uprising in September 1996, several of them repeatedly.
>
>LAW expresses its grave concern at the serious deterioration in the
>Occupied Territories and the escalation of violence against
>Palestinian reporters and against Palestinian civilians. Opening fire
>on journalists represents a serious violation on the freedom of the
>press and an unaccepable use of force. LAW sees these recent events
>as further efforts to control or limit coverage of the serious and
>abusive situation on the ground in Hebron and elsewhere in the West
>Bank.
>
>LAW calls on the international community to voice its condemnation of
>this violence against Palestinian journalists and to call on the
>Israeli government to ensure the safety of journalists working in the
>West Bank. The Israeli army must end its practice of indiscriminate
>shooting of civilians and journalists, which has resulted in serious
>injury and in the death of one 13 year old boy and three workers in
>the past week. Write or fax the following to express your
>condemnation of these actions, and in support of the valuable coverage
>of Palestinian journalists in this area: Israeli Prime Minister
>Netanyahu (972) (2) 566 4838, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Levy
>(972) (2) 530 3506, Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordechai (972) (3) 691
>6940. Electronic mail to: Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu:
>[EMAIL PROTECTED], the Office of the Prime Minister: [EMAIL PROTECTED],
>the Israeli Government Press Office: [EMAIL PROTECTED], and the Ministry
>of Foreign Affairs: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>_____________________________________________
> LAW - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and
>the Environment is a non-governmental organization, dedicated to
>preserving human rights through legal advocacy. LAW is also an
>affiliate member of the Paris-based International Federation for
>Human Rights.
>
>LAW - the Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights
>and the Environment
>PO Box 20873
>Jerusalem, via Israel
>Tel: (972) (2) 5812364/5824559
>Fax: (972) (2) 5811072
>email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>web site: http://www.lawsociety.org/
