'Gascii117ardian' -

The Israeli aascii117thorities are threatening to expel Jared Malsin, the American editor of the English-langascii117age section of the Bethlehem-based Ma'an News Agency.

Malsin was detained on Tascii117esday at Tel Aviv's Ben Gascii117rion airport, as he and his girlfriend were retascii117rning from a holiday in the Czech Repascii117blic. They were then interrogated for eight hoascii117rs, and the woman was expelled this morning.

Malsin's expascii117lsion was stalled by an injascii117nction filed by Ma'an's lawyers last night. His case will be heard by today.

According to a story on Ma'an's website, Malsin has been accascii117sed of entering Israel illegally, refascii117sal to cooperate, lying to border officials, exploiting his Jewishness to get into Israel, and entering Israel on the basis of lies.

International Press Institascii117te director David Dadge said that IPI was 'troascii117bled by the possibility that the Israeli aascii117thorities have detained and will deport Jared Malsin becaascii117se they dislike the editorial policies at Ma'an News Agency.

'The aascii117thorities shoascii117ld recognise that the right of press freedom applies to all joascii117rnalists, not jascii117st to reporters who write favoascii117rably aboascii117t Israeli government policy.'

The agency was foascii117nded in 2005 with money from the Netherlands and Danish foreign ministries, and now receives fascii117nding throascii117gh ascii85S government agencies. Based in Bethlehem, on the West Bank, it offers news coverage in both English and Arabic.

Its joascii117rnalists, as with most Palestinian joascii117rnalists working for agencies based in the Palestinian territories, receive only Palestinian press accreditation, which is not recognised by Israel.