Israeli forces beat, detain Palestinian journalist in occupied Jerusalem

According to Palestinian Authority’s official news agency, Wafa, soldiers beat and detained Ahmad Kamal Hababa, a journalist with Palestine TV, before taking him to an unknown location.

Journalists are a daily target of Israeli violence against Palestinians and are often subjected to arrest, beatings and at times, are even killed on the job.

Israel has illegally occupied the West Bank since 1967, and commits various abuses against Palestinian civilians, human rights groups say.

Most recently, disabled Palestinian Iyad el-Hallak, 32, died on Saturday after being shot by Israeli Border Police officers in Jerusalem's Old City.

His caretaker said Israeli police were told he was autistic and didn't understand their warnings before they shot him dead.

"He didn't even know there was such a thing as Jews and Arabs in this country," his cousin, Dr. Hatem Awiwi, told Haaretz on Monday.

"He didn't know what a police officer is... He didn't have the knowledge that there even was another side. He didn't know what a soldier is or what a weapon is," Awiwi explained. "He saw a stranger and fled, and then they shot him."

Seperately, the caregiver who accompanied Hallak on his walk from his home in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Wadi Joz to the Old City on Saturday said she had told the police he was "disabled" and pleaded with them not to shoot the man.

Warda Abu Hadid told Israel's Channel 13 she repeatedly told the officers, in Hebrew, that Hallak was disabled.

More than 600,000 Israeli Jews live in settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, in constructions considered illegal under international law.

The Oslo agreement of 1995 divided the occupied West Bank into three: Area A, Area B and Area C.

Area A is under the administrative and security control of the Palestinian Authority (PA). Area B's administration is controlled by the Palestinian Authority, with Israel controlling security. Area C is under full administrative and security control of Israel.

Israeli forces and settlers routinely harass Palestinians in the occupied territories by harming and killing civilians, demolishing homes, poisoning livestock, vandalising property and other forms of violence. 

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