Palestinian journalist arrested for filming PA PM passing Israeli security check

Journalist Jihad Barakat was arrested by Palestinian security forces on 6 July 2017 after he filmed the convoy of Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah being searched by Israeli occupation forces. [Image: Arabs48]

Palestinian Authority (PA) security services yesterday arrested journalist Jihad Barakat after he filmed Israeli soldiers inspecting the convoy of the PA prime minister in occupied West Bank.

Media reports said that the PA security services claimed that Barakat, a correspondent at Palestine Today TV channel, was arrested for filming Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah’s convoy.

Government spokesman, Tariq Rishmawi, said two youths had been arrested for filming the convoy.

Read: Israeli army raids Palestinian TV channel in West Bank

He denied reports that there was an Israeli checkpoint and that occupation forces had been inspected the convoy.

Rishmawi claimed that both men arrested had been following the PM’s convoy for a long time and they would be investigated for this reason.

Media organisations have repeatedly accused the PA of “gagging” news sites with many journalists targeted by Palestinian security forces and news sites closed or blocked.

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