AMMAN: The Committee to Protect Journalists has condemned the detention of two reporters by Israeli police after they were allegedly assaulted by Israeli settlers while working near Umm Al-Khair in the occupied West Bank.

Russian-Israeli journalist Andrey Khrzhanovskiy, known professionally as Andrey X, and US journalist Jasper Nathaniel were taken into custody following the incident on Wednesday, alongside freelance journalist Adele Shoko, the CPJ said on Thursday.

Shoko reported that settlers beat Khrzhanovskiy, causing him to lose consciousness several times, and stole his phone. Nathaniel was pepper-sprayed, while Shoko’s glasses were taken. She also said the attackers prevented an ambulance from evacuating Khrzhanovskiy.

Attorney Alon Sapir told the CPJ that Khrzhanovskiy and Nathaniel remained in police custody at Kiryat Arba police station in Hebron. Israeli authorities had not disclosed the legal grounds for their detention or how long they would be held, the organization said.

Sapir confirmed that Khrzhanovskiy was struck on the head and required medical attention. Shoko alleged that the journalists were denied treatment for their injuries.

“Israeli authorities can’t claim to protect public safety while detaining journalists who have been attacked in the course of their work and failing to hold those responsible for the violence accountable,” said CPJ regional director, Sara Qudah.

She said keeping journalists in custody without disclosing the legal grounds, while they might still require medical care, compounded the harm and sent a dangerous message to those documenting settler violence.

The CPJ said it had contacted Israeli police for clarification on the journalists’ detention, conditions and whereabouts, but received no reply at the time of publishing its statement.

The incident follows a series of attacks and restrictions affecting Palestinian and international journalists in the West Bank.

The CPJ said it had documented at least 16 incidents this year, involving at least 35 local and international journalists, who faced physical attacks, harassment, obstruction or intimidation.

In September, the organization reported an increase in the intensity of settler attacks against journalists in the territory. It also cited recent incidents involving Israeli forces, including attacks on reporters covering a military raid in Hebron and the deportation of a Portuguese journalist.

Khrzhanovskiy was briefly detained the previous week while filming in the occupied West Bank’s Binyamin area and released after an investigation. He said he faced unsubstantiated allegations of supporting a terrorist organization.