Journalists barred from flight to Israel

Al Jazeera reports:

Two Dutch journalists were not allowed to board a flight from Amsterdam to Tel Aviv late yesterday.

Security Correspondent Bud Wichers and Photographer Ettora Hesseling, who are both working for an International news agency, recently covered the preparation of the Dutch Flotilla activists from Greece.

They intended to sail with flotilla, but backed out after a disagreement between the Dutch organizers and Dutch journalists.
They were told by a staff member of El Al Airlines, an Israeli company, that that they would pose a serious flight risk, and for that reason could not board the plane.

“We wanted to tell both sides of the Flotilla story and scheduled interviews with Israelis who oppose the action of the activists,” said Wichers.

“Later on we wanted to go to Gaza to see how Israel is bringing aid to the people there. Israel denied us the opportunity to tell their side of the story. Instead we are labeled terrorists now, even though Netanyahu’s office specifically said they would not target journalists who covered the Freedom Flotilla 2.”

Wichers has worked numerous times in the Israel and the Palestinian areas and covered the Middle East for over 10 years.

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One thought on “Journalists barred from flight to Israel

  1. Frigga Karl

    Israel becomes more and more afraid of free speach and free opinion, because the israeli propaganda lies are not credible anymore and people are less impressed by the antisemitic blackmailing. Israel looses ground and the real face is now shown: a barbaric and old style oppression system with all these evil colonial and racist behaviour. This is the KuKluxKlan time and the european colonial power time of the 19th century. Israel is anachronic and will soon implose because of that. That’s why Israel is overreacting hysterically all the time. This is a mad government and the citizen do not realise the dangers of that very antisemitic and self hating government.

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