Israel detains Washington Post bureau chief in Jerusalem accusing him of ‘incitement’ –updated
Allison Deger
Mondoweiss
William Booth, the Washington Post’s Jerusalem bureau chief, was conducting interviews by the Damascus Gate outside of the Old City’s walls in Jerusalem this afternoon when Israeli border police detained him and accused the journalist of incitement.
A statement released by the police said officers detained Booth on suspicion that he had played a role in “disturbance of the peace” for “propaganda purposes.” Once it was determined that he had not, he was released.
“A passer-by complained that he witnessed a number of people intending to stage a provocative situation and disturbances by young Arabs toward policemen responsible for security in the area, apparently for propaganda purposes. In view of the complaint, the policemen detained a number of suspects in order to clarify the facts in a sensitive and discreet manner at the nearby police facility,” said the statement from police spokesperson Luba Samri, adding Booth was “released immediately by the investigating officer without any other steps taken in the matter.”
Update: Israeli police have now issued a third statement in the case, stating that the original complaint was “without foundation.” Full text at bottom of this post.
A video of the incident courtesy of Reuters photographer Ammar Awad shows a nonplussed Booth and a colleague standing next to two officers, stating their passport and identification card were confiscated.
Source: mondoweiss.net