Al-Jazeera bureau chief freed on bail

Reporters Without Borders hailed the release of Al-Jazeera bureau chief Walid Al-Omari on bail yesterday but reiterated its appeal to the Israeli authorities to stop harassing the Qatar-based TV news station's journalists and called on the judicial authorities to drop all charges against Omari. In a phone call with his editors following his release, Omari said: “It is clear that certain parties want to obstruct Al-Jazeera's coverage of events.” Al-Jazeera stressed that Omari's release was subject to payment of bail. Omari was arrested by Israeli police for the second time in two days on the morning of 17 July while covering the armed clashes taking place in the Akka region of northern Israel, near the Lebanese border. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17.07.2006 Al-Jazeera bureau chief arrested in northern Israel Reporters Without Borders today called for the immediate release of Walid Al-Omari, Al-Jazeera's bureau chief in Israel, who was detained today in northern Israel shortly after reporting live on the Qatar-based satellite TV news station about the cross-border clashes with Lebanon. It was the second time Omari had been arrested by the police in two days. “We condemn the methods being used by the Israeli authorities against Al-Jazeera,” the organisation said. “We do not understand why the army harasses this TV station's journalists and we appeal to the Israeli government to take measures to ensure that all journalists in Israel can work with complete freedom.” Al-Jazeera told Reporters Without Borders it did not understand the Israeli army's position either. “We think we are covering the fighting with the utmost possible objectivity. These events make us again question the conditions in which our staff work in Israel. The tension is really palpable on the ground.” The station added: “According to our journalists there, our bureau chief, Walid Al-Omari, has been interrogated for more than four hours, in a rather violent manner. We condemn the use of force against him.” Omari was taken today to the police station in Akka for interrogation after being arrested near the town. He had already been arrested and questioned yesterday and had been freed this morning after spending the night in a detention centre. Members of another Al-Jazeera crew were also detained while covering developments in Haifa. The station said the Israeli authorities ordered reporter Elias Karram and his crew to keep away from an oil refinery located on the waterfront. Awad Rajoub, a Palestinian journalist who works for Al-Jazeera's website, was freed for lack of evidence on 24 May after being held for six months. He was arrested by Israeli soldiers on 30 November 2005 at his home in Doura, 10 km from the West Bank city of Hebron, and accused of “threatening state security.” The soldiers confiscated his mobile phone at the time of his arrest. The army said his arrest had nothing to do with his work.