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Alert

Photographer injured while covering protest in West Bank

(MADA/IFEX) - The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) strongly condemns the Israeli attack on APA and Wafa Agencies photographer Muammar Jameel Awad (25 years old). The incident took place on 2 May 2010 while the photographer was covering a march against the separation wall in the city of Beit Jala in the West Bank.

His brother, Reuters Agency photographer Ammar Awad, said that he was covering a protest march against the wall in Beit Jala with Muammar and a group of journalists. They were standing away from the demonstrators and the Israeli army, who started to throw tear-gas bombs at them to prevent them from filming. Muammar was injured after being struck on the head by one of the projectiles. He was taken by a Red Crescent Society ambulance to the Arab society hospital in Beit Jala, and because of the seriousness of his injury, he was transferred to Shaar Tsiedik hospital in West Jerusalem.

Ammar added: "Muammar suffered a large wound to his head, and his condition is stable now, but the doctor prevented him from moving his body.

MADA emphasizes the need to punish those responsible for the attack on Muammar Jameel Awad. MADA also calls on the international community to exert ressure on the Israeli government to stop all violence against journalists in the Palestinian territories.