Israel Briefly Detains two Washington Post Journalists, Calls it an ‘Unfortunate Misunderstanding’

wartwan as ditahan — Washington Post Jerusalem Bureau Chief William Booth, center-right, and reporter Sufian Taha were detained by Israeli police outside Damascus Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City, Israel, on Feb. 16. (David Vaaknin/For The Washington Post)

Washington, 8 Jumadal Awal 1437/February 17, 2016 (MINA) -Israeli authorities briefly detained two Washington Post journalists Tuesday, an incident the government initially said was “probably the result of an unfortunate misunderstanding.”

William Booth, The Post’s Jerusalem bureau chief, and Sufian Taha, a reporter, were conducting interviews at Damascus Gate in the holy city when Israeli border police detained them for just over half an hour.

The two journalists — who have government-issued press cards — were reporting on a recent spasm of violence and were interviewing Palestinian youths at Damascus Gate when they were detained. They were held without questioning at a police station for about 30 minutes before being released.

Israel’s Government Press Office quickly apologized in a statement, saying: “Freedom of the press is a supreme value in the Israeli democracy. Israel is doing its utmost to enable the foreign press to work freely, without any pressure. We call upon the security forces and journalists to act with restraint and to avoid confrontations during these tense times. The GPO endeavors to prevent such incidents; we shall examine today’s events and draw the necessary conclusions.”

Israeli police later said that information given to the officers “was without foundation” and noted their “regret if any distress was caused,” according to a statement posted online by spokesman Peter Lerner.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry called it “a regrettable incident, casting an unnecessary shadow over the work of an excellent journalist.”

The Foreign Press Association issued a strong statement about the arrest, writing that it was based on an “absurd accusation.”

“We do not think it is coincidental that a baseless accusation of ‘incitement’ was made at a time when blanket accusations of bias are being leveled against the foreign press by Israeli officials and commentators,” the FPA said. (T/P4/R07)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)