Gaza journalists protest against string of attacks

By: Ahmed Hammadi

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip: The Palestinian journalists association on Sunday protested a series of mysterious attacks on local news reporters by occupying the Palestinian Legislative Council in Gaza City.

The some 200 Palestinian protesters wearing symbolic bandana over their mouths marched into the empty legislative building and occupied the vacant seats of the chairman and other assembly members. The journalists also refused to report on the Palestinian security services, and interior and justice ministries until the government responded to their concerns.

“We are going to stay here in an open-ended sit-in until the officials listen to us and tell us about the latest in their investigation about the continuous assault against journalists.” said Tawfik Abu Khosa, chairman of the Gaza branch of the Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate.

The protesters left the building several hours later after a top aide to Yasser Arafat said the Palestinian leader is committed to finding who was behind the violence.

The group launched the protest after a string of attacks on journalists, most recently the burning of the car of Munir Abu Rezk, the Gaza bureau chief of the Al Hayat Al Jadida newspaper that is owned by Nabil Amr, a former Palestinian Cabinet minister.

Earlier this month, furniture and equipment were destroyed at the offices of the independent weekly magazine al-Dar. In January, the Gaza correspondent of the al-Arabiya satellite channel was severely beaten in a Gaza street after leaving work.

No arrests have been made in any of the cases, and the targets have said they don't know why they were attacked.

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