Reporters demand police stop blocking press from Old City
Foreign Press Association accuses officials of violating ‘basic constitutional rights’
Stuart Winer is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel.
The organization representing international media operating in Israel on Thursday sent a formal demand to Israeli officials calling for the lifting of a ban preventing journalists entering areas of the Old City of Jerusalem to cover the unrest at the Temple Mount.
Reporters have complained of police restricting them from being to cover near-daily clashes in the Old City over protests surrounding Israeli security measures at the Temple Mount.
“Our clients have been restricted with no legal or justified cause from entering the Old City particularly via Lion’s Gate whilst at the same time tourists and civilians are able to enter without any limitation,” attorneys representing the Foreign Press Association wrote Thursday morning.
The letter, which included a demand to lift the ban by Thursday afternoon, was addressed to Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, Israel Police Chief Roni Alsheich and the director of the Government Press Office, Shai Nitzan. A copy was also sent to Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit.
The ban is preventing journalists from doing their work, “that is mainly real-time coverage.”
Police officers enforcing the ban have, at times, been violent towards journalists trying to cover events, the media umbrella group charged.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said on Wednesday that “journalists are being prevented from coming in those specific areas where there have been disturbances and riots.”
According to Rosenfeld, the decision was made by the Jerusalem police district.
The FPA, which represents 360 media organizations from 32 countries, accused police of refusing to honor government issued press cards.
The ban “ostensibly constitutes an unlawful violation of basic constitutional rights, including, inter alia, freedom of expression, freedom of occupation, freedom of the press and the right to equality,” said the FPA’s legal representatives and added that it appears to world media as an act that is reminiscent of some of the “darkest regimes.”
Unrest persisted Thursday, even as Muslims returned to the Temple Mount after a 12-day boycott to protest Israel putting up metal detectors and other security apparatus at entrances to the site.
A Times of Israel correspondent said police were allowing reporters to cover events inside the tense Old City Thursday. Police did not say if reporters would have access on Friday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
