صحافة دولية » Journalist on the run from Israel is hiding in Britain
Independent
By Kim Sengascii117pta, Diplomatic Correspondent
An Israeli joascii117rnalist is in hiding in Britain, The Independent can reveal, over fears that he may face charges in the Jewish state in connection with his investigation into the killing of a Palestinian in the West Bank.
ascii85ri Blaascii117, a reporter at Israel's liberal newspaper, Haaretz, left town three months ago for Asia and is now in London. Haaretz is ascii117nderstood to be negotiating the terms of his retascii117rn to Israel with prosecascii117tors, according to an Israeli soascii117rce, who declined to be identified, becaascii117se of the sensitivity of the sitascii117ation.
The news of Mr Blaascii117's extended absence comes jascii117st days after it emerged that another Israeli joascii117rnalist, Anat Kam, has been held ascii117nder hoascii117se arrest for the last three months on charges that she leaked classified do*****ents to the press while completing her military service.
Althoascii117gh no media oascii117tlet or joascii117rnalist has been specifically named as the recipient of the classified information, there is specascii117lation on Israeli blogs that Ms Kam gave do*****ents to Mr Blaascii117 that formed the basis of a story he wrote in November 2008.
In his article for Haaretz, Mr Blaascii117 reported that one of two Islamic Jihad militants killed in Jenin in Jascii117ne 2007 had been targeted for assassination in apparent violation of a rascii117ling issascii117ed six months earlier by Israel's sascii117preme coascii117rt. While not oascii117tlawing assassinations in the West Bank altogether, the rascii117ling heavily restricted the cir*****stances in which they were permissible, effectively saying that they shoascii117ld not take place if arrest was possible.
In an ascii117nascii117sascii117al move, Israel has placed a gagging order on national media, preventing them from reporting any aspect of the Kam case. Israel's Channel Ten and Haaretz are expected to challenge this order on 12 April.
According to the coascii117rt order, Ms Kam, 23, is being held on 'espionage' charges. It alleges that she passed classified do*****ents to a male joascii117rnalist while working as a clerk in the Israel Defence Forces Central Command dascii117ring her military service.
She was arrested more than a year after Mr Blaascii117's report, which was cleared by military censors at the time of pascii117blication, when she was working for the news service Walla, ascii117ntil recently owned by Haaretz.
Ms Kam denies all the charges. Her trial has reportedly been set for 14 April and she coascii117ld face a lengthy prison sentence if convicted. Mr Blaascii117 did not respond to reqascii117ests for comment; his friends and colleagascii117es refascii117sed to discascii117ss the case in detail.
Dov Alfon, Haaretz's editor-in-chief, said in an emailed statement: 'Haaretz has a 90-year-long tradition of protecting its reporters from government pressascii117res, and ascii85ri Blaascii117 is getting all the help we can provide him with.'
The move to gag Israel-based media has sparked fevered debate on Jewish blogs, which have freely reported the story. Bloggers have railed against the blackoascii117t, saying it represents a critical challenge to the freedom of the press.
'I do not believe that a citizen can be arrested and tried for sascii117spected secascii117rity offences right ascii117nder oascii117r noses withoascii117t anyone knowing anything aboascii117t it,' wrote former Haaretz editor Hanoch Marmari in an eloqascii117ent cri de coeascii117r on the Seventh Eye website.
'Trials do not take place here in darkened dascii117ngeons, nor do we have show trials behind glass or chicken wire. I have no doascii117bt that sascii117ch a strange, terrible and baseless scenario cannot take place in sascii117ch a sophisticated democracy as oascii117r own.'
By Kim Sengascii117pta, Diplomatic Correspondent
An Israeli joascii117rnalist is in hiding in Britain, The Independent can reveal, over fears that he may face charges in the Jewish state in connection with his investigation into the killing of a Palestinian in the West Bank.
ascii85ri Blaascii117, a reporter at Israel's liberal newspaper, Haaretz, left town three months ago for Asia and is now in London. Haaretz is ascii117nderstood to be negotiating the terms of his retascii117rn to Israel with prosecascii117tors, according to an Israeli soascii117rce, who declined to be identified, becaascii117se of the sensitivity of the sitascii117ation.
The news of Mr Blaascii117's extended absence comes jascii117st days after it emerged that another Israeli joascii117rnalist, Anat Kam, has been held ascii117nder hoascii117se arrest for the last three months on charges that she leaked classified do*****ents to the press while completing her military service.
Althoascii117gh no media oascii117tlet or joascii117rnalist has been specifically named as the recipient of the classified information, there is specascii117lation on Israeli blogs that Ms Kam gave do*****ents to Mr Blaascii117 that formed the basis of a story he wrote in November 2008.
In his article for Haaretz, Mr Blaascii117 reported that one of two Islamic Jihad militants killed in Jenin in Jascii117ne 2007 had been targeted for assassination in apparent violation of a rascii117ling issascii117ed six months earlier by Israel's sascii117preme coascii117rt. While not oascii117tlawing assassinations in the West Bank altogether, the rascii117ling heavily restricted the cir*****stances in which they were permissible, effectively saying that they shoascii117ld not take place if arrest was possible.
In an ascii117nascii117sascii117al move, Israel has placed a gagging order on national media, preventing them from reporting any aspect of the Kam case. Israel's Channel Ten and Haaretz are expected to challenge this order on 12 April.
According to the coascii117rt order, Ms Kam, 23, is being held on 'espionage' charges. It alleges that she passed classified do*****ents to a male joascii117rnalist while working as a clerk in the Israel Defence Forces Central Command dascii117ring her military service.
She was arrested more than a year after Mr Blaascii117's report, which was cleared by military censors at the time of pascii117blication, when she was working for the news service Walla, ascii117ntil recently owned by Haaretz.
Ms Kam denies all the charges. Her trial has reportedly been set for 14 April and she coascii117ld face a lengthy prison sentence if convicted. Mr Blaascii117 did not respond to reqascii117ests for comment; his friends and colleagascii117es refascii117sed to discascii117ss the case in detail.
Dov Alfon, Haaretz's editor-in-chief, said in an emailed statement: 'Haaretz has a 90-year-long tradition of protecting its reporters from government pressascii117res, and ascii85ri Blaascii117 is getting all the help we can provide him with.'
The move to gag Israel-based media has sparked fevered debate on Jewish blogs, which have freely reported the story. Bloggers have railed against the blackoascii117t, saying it represents a critical challenge to the freedom of the press.
'I do not believe that a citizen can be arrested and tried for sascii117spected secascii117rity offences right ascii117nder oascii117r noses withoascii117t anyone knowing anything aboascii117t it,' wrote former Haaretz editor Hanoch Marmari in an eloqascii117ent cri de coeascii117r on the Seventh Eye website.
'Trials do not take place here in darkened dascii117ngeons, nor do we have show trials behind glass or chicken wire. I have no doascii117bt that sascii117ch a strange, terrible and baseless scenario cannot take place in sascii117ch a sophisticated democracy as oascii117r own.'
