Arab journalist strip-searched at July 4 party

Cameraman Samer Jallad, from East Jerusalem, works for the US-backed Alhurra network

JERUSALEM (AP) — The US-funded Alhurra network said Thursday that one of its cameramen was interrogated and strip-searched by Israeli security men while covering a July 4 party at the US ambassador’s residence near Tel Aviv.

The Arab satellite channel had coordinated with the Israeli prime minister’s office to cover the event on behalf of the international media. Ambassador Dan Shapiro, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other VIPs were in attendance. But when cameraman Samer Jallad arrived, he said he was detained for questioning, ordered to remove his shoes and sit in the sun for more than half an hour, and then taken to a room where he was forced to remove his pants for a body inspection. He said he was held for more than 90 minutes before he was permitted to enter.

It was the latest in a string of incidents in which Israeli security have used heavy-handed tactics against Arab journalists, a practice Israel has defended as necessary for security. Jallad, who said he has covered Netanyahu on many occasions, is a Palestinian from East Jerusalem who holds full Israeli residency rights and has a government-issued press card.

The Foreign Press Association, which represents international media in Israel, called on the US Embassy to condemn the incident.

“We find it especially shameful that a staffer of a US-funded network would be the victim of racial profiling at an official US event celebrating American Independence Day,” the FPA said. “Such treatment goes against the core values of freedom and equality that the US seeks to uphold.”