>New York, June 26, 2002—The Committee to Protect Journalists
(CPJ) is deeply concerned about an incident yesterday in which a Reuters
television cameraman came under gunfire in the West Bank town of Hebron.
A single bullet pierced the side of the video recorder of veteran
cameraman and CPJ 2001 International Press Freedom awardee Mazen Dana
as he was filming from a window on the top floor of a three-story
apartment building in Hebron. The journalist was filming the Israeli
army's destruction of a Palestinian Authority security forces building
about 300 meters (330 yards) away. Several Israeli soldiers were stationed
about 150 meters (165 yards) from his location.
Dana did not see who fired the shot, but said that there was no exchange
of gunfire in the vicinity of the building at the time of the shooting
and added that he had been filming from the same window for about
40 minutes without incident. Other Palestinian residents had been
viewing the demolition from a window one floor below where Dana was
stationed, also without incident.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman's office did not immediately
respond to a request for comment.
In a separate incident on Monday, June 24, the armored car of Reuters
cameraman Hamouda Hassan and soundman Abdel Karim Khadr came under
IDF gunfire at the entrance to the al-Amari refugee camp in Ramallah.
Israeli soldiers then ordered the two journalists out of the car at
gunpoint and briefly detained them for about an hour-and-a-half, said
Hassan, who pointed out that his car was clearly marked as a press
vehicle.
Elsewhere, the IDF has continued to restrict the movement of journalists
in the West Bank since it launched its "Operation Determined Path"
on June 21. The towns of Jenin, Tulkarem, Qalqiliya, Hebron, Ramallah,
Nablus, and Bethlehem have been declared "closed military areas" and,
therefore, off-limits to the press. Some journalists have said that
they have been turned back by IDF while attempting to enter these
cities, and those within the cities have said that they have experienced
difficulties in moving around.
