Ma'anThe editor in chief of Ma'an English, Jared Malsin, was temporarily spared deportation after an Israeli judge in Tel Aviv reversed an overruled injunction filed by lawyers representing the Bethlehem-based news agency late Wednesday night.
Malsin was detained at Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport on Tuesday afternoon while returning from the Czech Republic on holiday. After eight hours of interrogation, the Israeli Interior Ministry ordered him held and scheduled deportation for 6am on Thursday.
Ma'an attorney Castro Daoud intervened amid pressure from US diplomats seeking an injunction against the deportation. The request was rejected by the Israeli attorney general, whose own ruling was then overturned by a Tel Aviv judge, granting Malsin a hearing. Judge Miriam Sokolov will hear Malsin's case at 10am at the Tel Aviv District Court. A verdict is expected by noon.
[Update: JTA reports: "during a hearing Thursday requested more information on Malsin." BBC reports that proceedings have been "postponed until Sunday.]
Hebrew-language interrogation transcripts obtained by Ma'an reveal that Malsin was deemed a security risk on the apparent basis of his political beliefs. Interrogators gathered online research into the journalist's writing history, which the transcripts indicate included news stories "criticizing the State of Israel," among other allegations that he "authored articles inside the territories."
The security agents questioned why Malsin would have entered the West Bank if he were truly interested in becoming an Israeli citizen, say he "claimed to be Jewish," and allege that "he exploited his Jewishness to gain entry into the State of Israel." Among the specific grounds for detaining him were "lying to border officials," "here illegally," and "entered Israel by means of lies."
Shortly after it became clear why Malsin was actually detained, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a media rights organization, issued a scathing statement denouncing the the detention and calling on Israel to reverse its decision.
"Israel cannot hide behind the pretext of security to sideline journalists who have done nothing more than maintain an editorial line that the authorities dislike," said Mohamed Abdel Dayem, the CPJ's program coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa. "Israel should release Jared Malsin without delay and allow him to resume his work," the statement concluded.
Israeli officials have refused to publicly acknowledge Malsin's presence at the airport or anywhere else. Full story
Israel Cracks Down on the Press
Huffington -Mya Guarnieri
.......Since his detainment, which Israeli officials initially denied, Malsin has had little contact with the outside world. Daoud has had only one brief meeting with his client and Malsin has made a short phone call to Maan staff writer and sub-editor, George Hale.
Speaking to The Huffington Post, Hale reports that Malsin was shocked by the detainment. Malsin was also surprised that Israeli security officials were questioning him about the International Solidarity Movement, an activist group that Malsin has no affiliation with.
"He [Malsin] is the last person who would be involved with the ISM. He is a journalist," Hale says, "and his reporting is impartial."
.........Despite the fact that the Israeli Government Press Office [GPO] refuses to issue press passes to Maan employees, Hales says that both Malsin and Maan enjoy good working relationships with the Israeli Defense Forces [IDF] and other governmental bodies.
"We [Maan] talk to the IDF and include the Israeli point of view [in our articles]," Hale says....
Hale states that Malsin's partner, Faith Rowold, who does not have legal representation, was deported to Prague.
When considered within a larger context, Malsin's detention seems to point to a government intent on silencing dissent.
In September, the prominent Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions [BDS] activist Mohammed Othman was picked up by the IDF as he attempted to enter the West Bank via Jordan. Othman was returning from a visit to Norway, a country whose government had recently divested from an Israeli corporation directly involved in the occupation. Othman was widely credited as having been a crucial player in Norway's decision to divest.
After months in administrative detention without charges, held on the basis of evidence that neither Othman nor his lawyer was allowed to see, Othman was finally released yesterday, January 13.
Recently, the IDF has also arrested various leaders of non-violent grassroots movements against the separation barrier. In December, Abdallah Abu Rahmah, coordinator of the Bil'in Popular Committee Against the Wall was arrested on charges of incitement and stone throwing. Abu Rahmah is also accused of arms possession for displaying empty tear gas canisters and discharged rubber bullets--both shot at him and other protestors during the weekly non-violent demonstrations held in his village.
On January 12, Ibrahim Amirah, the coordinator of the Ni'ilin Popular Committee Against the Wall was arrested. Amirah has been detained and released without charges twice in the past.
Additionally, the IDF conducted a night raid on the West Bank home of the ISM's media coordinator, Eva Novakova. While Novakova was arrested and deported on the grounds that she had overstayed her visa, critics of her deportation point out that it's unusual for the IDF to go to such lengths due to an expired visa.
Hale says that, to the best of his knowledge, Malsin has a valid Israeli visa. Malsin's detention is "arbitrary," Hale says. "It's a violation of press freedom." Full story
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