Criticism after attack on DW employees in the West Bank
The German Journalists' Association (DJV) expressed concern following an attack by Israeli settlers on Deutsche Welle employees in the West Bank . "It cannot be that radical settlers hunt down media workers with impunity. This must not go unpunished," said DJV Federal Chairman Mika Beuster on Sunday.
The Israeli government has a duty to investigate the attack and prosecute it. The attack demonstrates that far too little is being done to protect colleagues in the region.
As the international broadcaster announced in Bonn on Saturday, a correspondent from the DW office in Jerusalem and a cameraman were pelted with stones and chased. They were reportedly able to escape unharmed. The cameraman's car was severely damaged.
According to DW, the incident occurred on Friday in the village of Sinjil in the Palestinian-administered part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. In addition to DW, other international media outlets were reportedly on site to report, including AFP, the "New York Times," and the "Washington Post." The DW staff were clearly identifiable as media workers by their press vests. The Israeli government has not yet commented on the incident.
"DW condemns this attack on our colleagues who traveled to Sinjil to cover a planned protest against settler violence," said the broadcaster's director general, Peter Limbourg. He appealed to the Israeli government to ensure the safety of all journalists in the West Bank. " Freedom of the press —and thus the safety of journalists—is the indispensable pillar of every democracy ," he emphasized.
German Ambassador to Israel Steffen Seibert wrote on X that reports of violent settler attacks on international journalists were extremely worrying: "Press freedom and the safety of journalists must be guaranteed. In light of increasing extremist settler violence, their work is essential."
pgr/hf/mh (epd, kna, rtr, DW)
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