Laith Jaar, a West Bank correspondent for the Qatari state-owned media giant Al Jazeera, was arrested and allegedly beaten by Palestinian Authority security forces this week, according to Arab media reports.
The arrest reportedly occured when Jaar arrived to file a complaint against a Palestinian officer, alleging that the officer assaulted him following Israel’s airstrike on Tulkarm, which resulted in the deaths of 18 people, including a Hamas commander in the city.
According to Palestinian reports, Jaar was in Tulkarm interviewing members of the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Just minutes after he left the area, an Israeli fighter jet reportedly struck, killing everyone he had interviewed on the spot.
A rumor subsequently spread that Jaar had betrayed the terrorists to the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), making him responsible for their deaths.
As a result, Jaar was allegedly questioned and physically assaulted by a Palestinian security officer.
It was after this that Jaar went to file a complaint with the Palestinian Authority’s police.
However, instead of investigating the complaint, the police reportedly arrested him.
Al Jazeera condemns PA
“Al Jazeera Media Network strongly condemns the assault by a member of the Palestinian Authority’s security on its correspondent, Laith Jaar, in the West Bank while he was covering the Israeli bombardment of the Tulkarm refugee camp,” the Qatari media network stated in response to the incident. “According to Laith’s testimony, security officer Ahmad Ghassan Quzah assaulted him and threatened to shoot him.”
Al Jazeera went on to also condemn Jaar’s arrest by the Palestinian security forces and called for his immediate release.
“This attack and arrest represent a serious escalation and a clear violation of journalists’ rights, adding to the ongoing systematic targeting of our reporters in the Palestinian territories, particularly following the illegal closure of the Al Jazeera bureau in Ramallah by the Israeli occupation authorities,” Al Jazeera stated.
According to Middle East Eye, a UK-based news outlet with reported ties to Qatar and Al Jazeera, the Palestinian Lawyers for Justice Group also condemned the assault on Jaar.
MEE also reported that the Palestinian Media Forum slammed the alleged assault on the Al Jazeera correspondent, citing the group as saying, “The blatant incitement against our colleague Laith Jaar and the assault on him is a serious transgression that threatens freedom of the press."