Rights group accuses Israel of blackmailing Palestinian journalists

GAZA CITY, Palestine

An international rights group has accused Israel of blackmailing Palestinian journalists by restricting their freedom of movement and requiring them to cooperate with Israeli security services in order to lift the travel ban.

The Geneva-based Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor (Euro-Med) released a report on Monday detaining verified documented cases of "the Israeli intelligence service and the Israeli General Security Service (Shin Bet) restricting Palestinian journalists over their right to travel and movement."

The report said that Israel has barred dozens of Palestinian journalists from traveling "as a punishment for their journalistic work or expression of their opinions."

The journalists told Euro-Med that Israeli officers notified them that the travel ban against them could only be removed if they report security information about Palestinians to the Israeli intelligence or work for Israel.

The rights group called on Israeli authorities to lift travel restrictions against Palestinian journalists and to stop chasing, arresting and intimidating them for doing their professional jobs.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara