Israeli authorities are threatening to expel Jared Malsin, the American editor of the English section of the Bethlehem-based Ma’an News Agency, from the country.
According to official sources at Ma’an News Agency, Malsin was detained on Tuesday afternoon at Ben Gurion International Airport, as he and his girlfriend were returning from a holiday in the Czech Republic. Israeli security agents had confiscated their cell phones before they boarded their flight. On landing, the pair was interrogated for eight hours.
They were scheduled to be deported at 6.00 am this morning. Malsin’s girlfriend, who had been working as a volunteer in Israel, was sent back to the Czech Republic today. However Malsin’s expulsion was stalled by the injunction filed by Ma’an’s lawyers last night. His case will be heard by Judge Miriam Sokolov today.
Malsin has been in Israeli custody since his arrival, although Israeli authorities reportedly denied this fact when questioned by representatives of the United States consulate in Jerusalem yesterday.
The authorities have accused Malsin of entering Israel illegally, “refusal to cooperate,” “lying to border officials,” “exploiting his Jewishness to get into Israel,” and “entering Israel on the basis of lies,” according to Ma’an sources. They also noted that Malsin wrote articles from within the Palestinian territories, including reports that criticize Israel.
Nasser Allaham, Editor-in-chief of Ma’an said: “I think they are targeting Ma’an and Jared also. They knew he was a journalist working in the Palestinian media and they don’t want our English page to be strong. They don’t care what we say on the Arabic page. Just because [Maslin] is the head of the English desk, they target him.”
IPI Director David Dadge said: “The International Press Institute is troubled by the possibility that the Israeli authorities have detained and will deport Jared Malsin because they dislike the editorial policies at Ma’an News Agency. The authorities should recognize that the right of press freedom applies to all journalists, not just to reporters who write favourably about Israeli government policy.”
The Ma’an News Agency was founded in 2005 with money from the Netherlands and Danish foreign ministries, and now receives funding through US government agencies. The agency is based in Bethlehem, in the West Bank, and offers news coverage in both English and Arabic. Journalists at the agency, like most Palestinian journalists working for agencies based in the Palestinian territories, receive only Palestinian press accreditation which is not recognized by Israel.
