One Jordanian journalist expelled and five Palestinian journalists still held

Reporters Without Borders protests against the new expulsion of a journalist, Mashhur Abu Eid. "This journalist was only doing his job. This new expulsion is inadmissible. It is yet another example of the way journalists are being hampered in their work since the launch of 'Operation Rampart' leaded by Israel on 29 May. It is also fresh evidence of the Israeli army's policy of discrimination against the Arab press in the occupied territories," states Robert Ménard, Secretary-General of Reporters Without Borders, in his letter to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. The organisation calls on the Israeli authorities to take all the necessary steps to permit Masshur Abu Eid to do his journalist work in all freedom and all security. Reporters Without Borders recall that on 6 April an American journalist, Jassem al-Azzawi, from Abu Dhabi TV was expelled to Israel. Mashhur Abu Eid, a correspondent for the official Jordanian news agency Petra, was arrested on 31 May 2002. Four days later, the journalist has been driven to the border in a prisoner bus, cuffed in the legs. The Petra new agency has not given any explanation of his expulsion. On 31 May, Mashhur Abu Eid was arrested along with seven peace activists in the Palestinian refugee camp of Balata, near Nablus. The city had been declared a closed military area at the time of the Israeli incursion. Mashhur Abu Eid arrived in Israel on 27 May and he had all the necessary press accreditation. He first went to Nablus and to Jenin on 30 May, and then went to the Balata camp. He wanted to film a gathering of Western peace activists who had come to inquire into the human rights situation in the Palestinian refugee camps. Mashhur Abou Eid has been accused of failing to respect a closed military area and resisting arrest. He was successively detained in the Houwara military camp and in the Ariel military camp near Salfit. On 2 June, the journalist had refused to sign his deportation order and, along with the seven peace activists, had asked to be allowed to appeal to the Supreme Court for the deportation order to be overturned. The Jordanian Foreign Minister and the Petra news agency were intervening with the Israeli authorities in order to secure his release.   Reporters Without Borders also wishes to draw attention to the fact that five Palestinian journalists, Maher al-Dessouki, of Al Quds Educational TV, Kamel Ali Jbeil, of the daily Al Quds, Hussam Abu Alan, Agence France-Presse (AFP) photographer (see photo), Yousri El Jamal, Reuters sound engineer, and Ayman El Kawasmi, director of the local radio El Horriya, are still being held by the Israeli authorities. The five Palestinian journalists were taken into 'administrative detention' on 22 May, on suspicion of having been involved in terrorist activities. In the absence of any evidence put forward to support these allegations, Reporters Without Borders calls on the Prime Minister to release them without delay.