Israeli police accused of harassing journalists during Al-Aqsa tensions
01 August 2017News Agencies
The Foreign Press Association (FPA) in Israel filed a petition with the
Israeli Supreme Court Wednesday, accusing the Israel police of using violent
tactics against journalists and improperly restricting media access to the
occupied East Jerusalem.
"We are seeking an end to the violent tactics often used by police and
guarantees that we can cover the news freely, safely and securely," the FPA
said in a statement.
The FPA said police verbally and physically harassed journalists and barred
some media from entering East Jerusalem, while tourists where given access to
the area.
Many reporters were forcibly removed from the area near Haram al-Sharif, or
Noble Sanctuary, known to Jews as Temple Mount, including television crews
from the Rai and Al Jazeera television stations, FPA Executive Director Glenys
Sugarman said.
Reuters cameraman, Sinan Abu Maizer, was allegedly beaten by police and
suffered a concussion while filming clashes in Jerusalem.
Jerusalem Police District Commander Yoram Halevi told the press last week that
the restrictions were to protect the journalists from the clashes.
Dozens of reporters descended upon Jerusalem last month as violent clashes
between police and Palestinian protesters played out in the streets.
Anger has spilled across the West Bank since Israel shut Al-Aqsa Mosque
compound following a deadly shootout on July 14. The site is venerated by
Muslims as Haram al-Sharif, or Noble Sanctuary, and Jews, who call it the
Temple Mount.
The mosque was reopened after two days, with Israel installing metal detectors
and cameras at its gates.
Protests and deadly unrest erupted in the days after the measures were
installed, with clashes breaking out around the compound in Jerusalem's Old
City, in the occupied West Bank and in the Gaza Strip.
Seven Palestinians were killed as a result of the clashes, in addition to
dozens of wounded. Three Israelis were also killed in an attack in a
settlement on the West Bank.
The mosque was reopened after two days, with Israel installing metal detectors
and cameras at its gates. Despite calls from the Islamic world to not to
offend worshippers and return to the status quo, Israel refused to remove the
detectors, claiming the security measures were similar to procedures taken at
other holy sites around the world.
But facing international criticism and pressure, Israel's Security Cabinet
decided late Monday to remove the metal detectors. A statement released after
the meeting said a new surveillance system using "smart checks" based on
advanced technology would be put in place.
Jerusalem is sacred to Muslims, Jews and Christians, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque is
the Islamic world's third holiest site behind the Kaaba in Mecca and al-Masjid
an-Nabawi in Medina.
A spokesman for the Israeli police did not return a request for comment on the
FPA petition.
Israeli activists storm Jerusalem holy site after Al-Aqsa crisis
More than 1,000 hardline Israeli activists, guarded by police, Tuesday August
1st, 2017 toured a flashpoint Jerusalem holy site that had been the focal
point of recent tensions in the city. According to Firas Dibs, spokesperson
for the Waqf, the religious authority in charge of Al-Aqsa mosque, 1,089
"extremists stormed" the site. According to The Jerusalem Post newspaper
citing figures released Monday, there has been a 15 percent increase in the
number of Jewish visitors to the site in the past year.
Amid more restrictions imposed on Palestinian entry to the mosque, hundreds of
Jews have ascended a contested Jerusalem holy site to mark Tisha B'Av, the
Jewish day of mourning over the destruction of the biblical temples. Police
spokeswoman Luba Samri said six Jewish visitors were removed for violating the
guidelines as the group reportedly called to intensify the daily raids on the
mosque. She also said three Jews and one Muslim were arrested after a minor
skirmish.
Azzam Khateeb, director of the Muslim administration, the Waqf, said, "This is
unprecedented, unacceptable and should stop."
The Israeli government has overlooked the violations by the settler groups in
East Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound despite the calls from the
Temple Mount administration and Palestinians.
The Temple Mount is central to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with
Palestinians fearing Israel may one day seek to assert further control over
it. It is located in east Jerusalem, which was occupied by Israel in 1967 and
later annexed in a move never recognized by the international community. It is
considered the third holiest site in Islam and the most sacred site for Jews.
Jews are allowed to visit the compound but cannot pray there to avoid
provoking tensions.
The site has been at the center of recent tensions after Israel installed, and
then removed, metal detectors there following the deadly shooting of two
Israeli policemen. Muslims administer the compound, home to the Al-Aqsa and
Dome of the Rock mosques, while Jews can visit but not pray there.
Anger has spilled across the West Bank since Israel shut Al-Aqsa Mosque
compound following a deadly shootout on July 14. The site is venerated by
Muslims as Haram al-Sharif, or Noble Sanctuary, and Jews, who call it the
Temple Mount. The mosque was reopened after two days, with Israel installing
metal detectors and cameras at its gates.
Protests and deadly unrest erupted in the days after the measures were
installed, with clashes breaking out around the compound in Jerusalem's Old
City, in the occupied West Bank and in the Gaza Strip.
Seven Palestinians were killed as a result of the clashes, in addition to
dozens of wounded. Three Israelis were also killed in an attack in a
settlement on the West Bank.
The mosque was reopened after two days, with Israel installing metal detectors
and cameras at its gates. Despite calls from the Islamic world to not to
offend worshippers and return to the status quo, Israel refused to remove the
detectors, claiming the security measures were similar to procedures taken at
other holy sites around the world. But facing international criticism and
pressure, Israel's Security Cabinet decided to remove the metal detectors. A
statement released after the meeting said a new surveillance system using
"smart checks" based on advanced technology would be put in place.
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