Al-Jazeera reporter in Sakhnin assaulted by Assad supporters

Dozens of Arab protesters who support the Syrian president assault an Al-Jazeera reporter & his his crew during Land Day procession in Sakhnin.

Channel 1 journalist, and 2 others were lightly injured.

By Hassan Shaalan

 

A scuffle broke out Saturday during a Land Day procession in Sakhnin. Several dozen protesters who support Syrian President Bashar Assad assaulted an Al-Jazeera reporter and his crew.

יום האדמה בסכנין (צילום: מוחמד שינאווי)

Land Day in Sakhnin – Photo: Mohammed Shinawi

The rioters hurled water bottles at the journalists claiming they were fabricating reports about the situation in Syria. The scuffle quickly spread to include other protesters. Three people were lightly injured including a Channel 1 journalist who sustained a minor head injury and was treated at a local clinic.

Thousands of people participated in the Sakhnin procession, waving Palestinian flags and calling for the protection of Arab lands in Israel. The event, which was organized by the Higher Arab Monitoring Committee, also attracted Arab Knesset members and leaders of the Islamic Movement.

תהלוכת יום האדמה בסכנין (צילום: AFP)

Photo: AFP

“This is a struggle between the Palestinian children and the State,” said MK Hanin Zoabi (Balad). “The State has explicitly expressed that its aim is the judaization of the land and this will see some of the citizens who were here before the state was established into enemies.”

She further added, “The State is being hostile and aggressive; it’s a war for our existence. When one confiscates the land and prevents us from making a living off of it and building over it, it turns me into an enemy.”

(צילום: AFP)

Photo: AFP

MK Mohammad Barakeh (Hadash) added, “Our struggle is to expand the jurisdiction and construction area of the Arab towns that are in danger.” Meanwhile, Meretz MK Issawi Farij stressed that “Land Day symbolizes the ongoing suffering of the Arab sector. The Arab–Jewish partnership must prevail.”

Dozens of Palestinians marking Land Day gathered at the Qalandiya checkpoint near Jerusalem Saturday morning and hurled rocks at security forces. IDF and Border Guard forces responded with crowd-dispersing means.

A four-year-old Israeli boy sustained mild injuries when stones were thrown in his direction on Route 60, near the Efrat Intersection in the West Bank. Magen David Adom paramedics evacuated the boy to Jerusalem’s Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital.

Two IDF soldiers sustained light injuries when stones were thrown at them during clashes with Palestinians near Qalqilya. The two were treated at the scene.

 

View original Ynet publication at: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4362330,00.html