West Bank reporters 'attacked' by Israeli army: UN experts

WEST BANK

Journalists in the occupied West Bank are being "attacked and harassed" by Israeli forces, according to two United Nations experts, who accused Israel of trying to prevent reporting on alleged "war crimes."

At the end of August, Israel launched a large-scale offensive across the northern West Bank, fighting Palestinian militants and leaving widespread destruction.

Israeli troops "fired live ammunition at journalists or their vehicles" in three incidents in the cities of Jenin and Tulkarm this month "while they were reporting on military operations and civilian casualties", U.N. special rapporteurs Irene Khan and Francesca Albanese said in a statement.

Israeli forces in their offensive have targeted Jenin, Tulkarem and their refugee camps, where armed groups are particularly active.

Four reporters were hurt despite wearing clearly marked press jackets, the report said.

AFP witnessed one of the incidents, in Jenin on Sept. 3.

"We strongly denounce the attacks and harassment of journalists in the illegally occupied West Bank, which are nothing but crude attempts by the Israeli army to block independent reporting on potential war crimes," the experts said.

Since October 2023, 29 journalists have been detained by Israeli forces in the West Bank, while three have been arrested by the Palestinian Authority, according to the statement.

"It is deeply disturbing to see Israeli soldiers in the West Bank replicating the same disdain for the safety of journalists as in Gaza in blatant violation of international law," Khan and Albanese said.

"Foreign media continue to be denied access to Gaza and now their safety in the West Bank is also being seriously threatened, gravely hindering their journalistic work," they added.

The rapporteurs stressed that cases of ill-treatment, sexual and gender-based violence against journalists, including women, while in Israeli custody, have been well documented.

Albanese, an independent expert who was appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council in 2022 but who does not speak on behalf of the U.N., has previously accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Israel has long been highly critical of Albanese and her mandate.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967 and has ramped up deadly raids in the territory since Hamas's Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel sparked the war in Gaza.

According to the Palestinian health ministry, at least 665 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by the Israeli military and settlers since Oct. 7.

At least 24 Israelis, including security forces, have been killed in Palestinian attacks in the territory during the same period, according to Israeli officials.