French Cameraman Shot in W. Bank

BETHLEHEM, West Bank –– A French cameraman was shot and wounded Tuesday at the entrance to a refugee camp in the northern West Bank, fellow reporters said. In Bethlehem, Israeli soldiers confiscated the videotapes of two foreign journalists.

The shooting and confiscation were among several incidents Tuesday involving journalists in the West Bank, where Israel launched its offensive March 29 after a series of Palestinian suicide bombings on Israeli citizens. The Israeli military has banned reporters from areas under its control, but the ban is not consistently enforced.

Six groups representing journalists – the local Foreign Press Association and five international bodies – issued a joint statement Tuesday calling on the Israeli government to lift the ban on reporters, calling it "excessive, unjustifiable and utterly counterproductive." The groups also appealed to "all the Palestinian factions to cease efforts to confiscate materials or intimidate journalists."