By IRNA,
London : Liberal Democrat shadow treasury minister Colin Breed has called on the British government to intervene over the Israeli beating of an award-winning Palestinian journalist.
“Parliament condemns the actions of the Israeli security forces with regard to the Palestinian journalist and joint winner of the 2008 Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism, Mohammed Omer,” Breed said.
After briefing UK MPs on the situation in Gaza, Omer tried to re- enter the occupied territories, but “was interrogated at the crossing, strip-searched at gunpoint and beaten for four hours resulting in hospitalization after he lost consciousness,” he said.
An Early Day Motion to parliament expressed “concern that harassment, intimidation and even killing of journalists has been too frequent an occurrence” by Israel.
It called on Israel and all other parties to uphold the freedom of journalists to report and to launch a full independent inquiry, to compensate Omer in full for his injuries.
The MPs, signing the motion, also urged the British to raise the issue of the intimidation of journalists with the Israeli regime at the earliest opportunity.