CPJ slams attack on Israel’s Channel 12 over coverage of Palestinian detainee abuse

Soldiers lock a gate from the inside at Sde Teiman detention facility, after Israeli military police arrived at the site as part of an investigation into the suspected abuse of a Palestinian detainee. (REUTERS)

• Masked person smashes building’s glass doors, leaves note containing death threat
• Second attack on channel in less than a month is ‘dangerous escalation of intimidation’

LONDON: An attack on an Israeli broadcaster over its coverage of the abuse of Palestinian detainees has been condemned by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

On Monday evening, a masked individual smashed the glass doors of the Channel 12 News building in Tel Aviv and left a note that contained a death threat over the broadcaster’s coverage of the abuse of Palestinian detainees at the notorious Sde Teiman facility.

The detention camp became mired in controversy after Palestinian detainees there were reportedly raped and physically abused.

When Israeli reservists serving at the base were later arrested, crowds of people, including MPs and government ministers, broke into the facility holding the reservists to demand their release.

Surveillance footage of Monday’s attack has been posted. The handwritten note left at the scene reportedly demanded that Channel 12 apologize for its reporting on Sde Teiman or “someone will die in the end.”

It is the second attack on the channel’s offices in less than a month. Earlier in July, another masked person threw two bricks through the building’s glass entrance before fleeing.

No arrests have been made in connection with either attack after Israeli police launched investigations.

Sara Qudah, CPJ’s regional director, said: “This second attack on Channel 12 in less than a month, coupled with an explicit death threat to its journalists, represents a dangerous escalation of intimidation against the Israeli press that can’t be dismissed as an act of vandalism.

“Israeli authorities must leave no doubt that those who threaten or attack journalists will face swift justice, and must take decisive action to protect journalists, and safeguard their ability to report freely without fear.”

Danny Levy, the Israeli police commissioner, said the matter is being treated as a serious incident.

In a statement to CPJ, a Channel 12 spokesperson said: “This is a real warning sign. The blood of Channel 12 News journalists is not fair game … We will not back down, even in the face of legislation, incitement and violence.”