Ramallah - Israel’s occupation military has arrested four Palestinians in the occupied West Bank from a television station close to Hamas, officials said Monday, after the defence minister branded the channel a “terrorist organisation”.
The military said the arrests of the Al Quds (Jerusalem) TV journalists were made overnight, while equipment and a vehicle were also seized.
The Palestinian journalists’ union said two vehicles were seized in addition to equipment including a television camera.
According to the union, those arrested included the channel’s director in the West Bank, Alaa Rimawi, and three journalists.
Rimawi and two others are from Ramallah while the fourth is from a nearby village. They were arrested from their homes, colleagues said.
Those arrested “were suspected of incitement and involvement in the Hamas-backed Al Quds television channel”, it said.
Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman earlier this month signed an order declaring the Lebanon-based satellite television channel a terrorist organisation.
The Israeli occupation regime has carried out a series of raids against Palestinian media organisations it accuses of incitement, drawing criticism from press freedom advocates.
