The Israel Press Council, an organization that advocates for freedom of the press and journalistic ethics, condemned on Saturday National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's support for a Border Police officer suspected of beating up a journalist in east Jerusalem on Friday.
In a video from the scene of the incident on Friday, Border Police officers could be seen pushing Mostafa Alkharouf, a journalist with the Turkish Anadolu Agency, before walking away. After the journalist shouted at the officers, they turned back toward him and one of the officers momentarily appeared to point his firearm toward him before another officer approached the journalist and threw him to the ground, with the first officer repeatedly kicking him in the head.
צלם העיתונות מוסטפא חרוף אויים בירי חי והוכה באכזריות על ידי שוטרים במזרח ירושלים. הוא מאושפז עם פגיעות רציניות בראש. עוד לא ברור מה מצבו. pic.twitter.com/dYNPHHKryr
— نير حسون Nir Hasson ניר חסון (@nirhasson) December 15, 2023
Haaretz reporter Nir Hasson reported that shortly before the incident, Alkharouf and other journalists had been asked by a police officer to go to a certain location, but when they went there, another officer blocked them. When they tried to explain that they had been asked to move, the officer hit Alkharouf in the leg and the journalist asked for the officer's details, with the video beginning shortly after that.
Israel Police said after the incident that Border Police were operating in the area in east Jerusalem to arrest masked suspects for throwing stones and blocking traffic. The police said that journalists who arrived at the scene interfered with police operations and clashed with the Border Police officers, who then used force in light of their refusal to leave the scene.
"Our officers are constantly working to maintain the peace and the safety of residents in all sectors," said Border Police commander Yitzhak Brick on Friday. "The cooperation of the undercover forces alongside the visible forces constitutes a force multiplier and proves itself in the field," he said.
"We will not stop working hard, with determination and professionalism, to fulfill our mission: protecting the safety of the citizens. However, we will not compromise on the values of our officers and where we realize that there has been a flaw in their activities, we will investigate and check the events and will not hesitate to make command and disciplinary decisions."
Shortly after the incident, the two officers involved were suspended until an investigation was completed; later in the day, they were questioned by the Department of Internal Police Investigations.
Ben-Gvir expresses support for officer in beating of journalist
On Saturday night, Ben-Gvir posted on X that he had spoken with one of the suspended Border Police officers, calling him "an outstanding officer" and referring to the journalist as a "Hamas-supporter."
"I supported him and informed him that I would work to restore him to operational activity as soon as the nine days of the suspension established by the Department of Internal Police Investigations were over. We must not judge fighters 'under laboratory conditions!'" wrote the minister.
The Israel Press Council stressed that it "takes a very serious view against and strongly condemns the support shown by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir for the Border Police officer suspected of attacking a photographer in east Jerusalem.
"With these actions, the minister instigates violence against journalists, encourages violations of the law, and interferes in investigations. In addition to the violation of the public's right to know, the minister's conduct constitutes a prohibited interference in the investigation of the Department of Internal Police Investigations and a dangerous violation of the separation of powers during wartime."