Cairo 18 March 2012

ANHRI condemns the ongoing crackdown by the Israeli occupation forces against Palestinian journalists either by arbitrary arrest or physical targeting while performing their job.

Israeli occupation forces attacked the photojournalist Musa Al Shaer, member of the Administration Board of the Journalists Syndicate and the President of the Youth Press Movement and reporter for several media and press organizations.

Al Shaer was physically attacked and his camera and equipments were broken while covering the weekly march organized by the People’s Campaign against the Wall and settlement in Al Ma’sara village to the west of Bethlehem.

“Israeli occupation forces deliberately attack journalists to prevent them from covering events” said Al Shaer speaking to Al Zaytuna news agency reporter. “Palestinian journalists are a target of the occupation soldiers” he added and called on all parties to protect journalists and save them from such attacks.

“The ongoing attacks on journalists are part of an organized intimidation campaign by the Israeli occupation forces against journalists to hide the violations committed against Palestinian people.” Said ANHRI.

ANHRI added that freedom of opinion and expression in Palestine is suppressed by the occupation authorities and therefore ANHRI calls for pressuring them in order to stop this campaign, which impairs the right of journalists to do their job.