 New
York, March 12, 2002—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
is gravely concerned that Israeli forces opened fire on a hotel housing
numerous journalists near the West Bank city of Ramallah.
In the early morning hours of March 12, Israeli forces directed heavy
machine gun fire at the City Inn hotel, from which some 30 to 40 reporters
and cameramen, most of them representing western media outlets, were filming
an Israeli army operation against the nearby al-Amari refugee camp.
Israeli forces fired on the hotel, which is located some 300 hundred yards
from the al-Amari camp, for about 15 minutes, according to press reports
and journalists at the scene who were interviewed by CPJ.
Israeli forces gave no prior warning of the attack. Journalists said the
gunfire smashed windows and damaged the interior and exterior of the building.
There were no injuries. However, gunfire destroyed
an ABC camera after the fleeing crew left it on its tripod. One round
struck the camera directly in its lens.
"We call on the Israeli government to provide a full accounting of this
disturbing incident," said CPJ executive director Ann Cooper.
An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman told CPJ that the army was responding
to Palestinian gunfire emanating from the upper floors of the hotel and
from other nearby buildings.
The spokesman added that the army was unaware that journalists were present
in the hotel and that Israeli forces ceased fire after news agencies alerted
the IDF of the situation.
Several journalists who spoke with CPJ vehemently denied that a gunman
was in the hotel, which was located away from cross fire and provided
a good vantage point on the refugee camp.
"If there is a gunman, I would not stay in the building for one minute,"
ABC television news producer Nasser Atta told The Associated Press.
Journalists argued that the army should have been aware that media representatives
were inside the hotel because some 20 clearly identified press vehicles
were parked out front. Several Israeli tanks drove by the hotel before
the attack, they said.
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