3 April 2002
Date: Wed, 3 Apr 2002 16:18:33 -0500 (EST)
From: s
Subject: Journalists under attack in Palestine
Dear CPJ
In your online feature 'PRESS FREEDOM CRISIS WORSENS IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES' ( http://www.cpj.org/news/2002/Israel02apr02na.html#more ), you state:
"On April 1, BBC reporter Orla Guerin and her television crew came under Israeli fire while covering peaceful protesters walking through the streets of Bethlehem. Video footage of the incident shows the camera panning on the demonstrators and then focusing on a tank, which then fires machine gun rounds at the camera. The crew took cover behind a car that was clearly marked press. No one was injured in the attack."
This is erroneous. 6 people were injured in this attack, 2 of them Journalists.
As reported on the front page of Palestine IMC: jerusalem.indymedia.org
"Protesters Shot by IDF in Beit JallaBBC live interviews with demonstrators and footage from the Italy IMC showing the attack on the unarmed protesters and BBC reporters.
April 01, 2002 1645: Internationals Attacked with Live GunfireMoments ago international civilians and two members of the Palestinian press were wounded by live fire in Beit Jalla.The internationals were attempting to visit the people in homes that have been taken over by the Occupation Forces.
Among the wounded are:
- British citizen: Aisa Kiysue, Kunle Ibidun, Chris Dunham
- Australian citizen: Kate Irving (currently undergoing surgey)
- American citizen: Said KhulilWounded have been taken to Al Huissen Hospital in Bethlehem. Word from the hospital staff is people were hit in the back of the head, face and one was hit in the upper thigh and knees. The Palestinians were hit in the chest.
UPDATE: The wounded are ok including Kate Irving who underwent a two hour operation to remove shrapnel from her stomach and abdomen areas."
Links to photo's of the injured:
http://jerusalem.indymedia.org/news/2002/04/2250.php
The attack as reported by an Italian Indymedia photo-journalist via cellphone live on New York's WBAI Radio:
http://stream.realimpact.org/rihurl.ram?file=webactive/demnow/dn20020401.rastart=9:34.8
The BBC video clearly shows other Journalists under fire at Time 00:31.8:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1905000/video/_1905587_mideast17_guerin_vi.ram
Italian Independent Media Journalists also came under fire from the IDF in this attack.
Video:
http://ftp.autistici.org/pub/indy/video_palestina/beit_jala_activists_shot.rm
(15 meg download, Real video format)
I appreciate the very quick response from CPJ in calling attention to the serious deadly force faced by Journalists and civilians in Palestine. Indymedia reporters are journalists deserving protection as such.
Especially since many of the breaking stories of this 6 day old siege are coming from Indymedia reporters on the ground. Check the timestamps, and compare to 'mainstream' media release times.
jerusalem.indymedia.org - IMC Palestine, surrounded and under siege.
www.indymedia.org - IMC Seattle
nyc.indymedia.org - IMC New York
italia.indymedia.org - IMC Italy
Yours sincerely
John Katz - independent journalist, NYC IMC.