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Week ending April 26, 2008

RNW journalist refused entry to Israel - April 21, 2008
from Marjolein Klaassen-Hulst

The Dutch journalist Abir Sarras, who works for Radio Netherlands Worldwide (RNW), was arrested last night at Tel Aviv airport. She was told that she was refused entry to Israel. Sarras is of Palestinian descent and holds dual Dutch and Palestinian nationality. She was planning to produce, with a colleague, a series of reports about the 60-year existence of the state of Israel. She will fly back to the Netherlands, via Milan, this afternoon.

Abir Sarras arrived at Tel Aviv last night on a KLM flight. Shortly after her arrival, she was arrested by two police officers and taken to a cell near the airport. Sarras has let it be known via her mobile phone that she is amazed at what has happened but that otherwise her situation is good. She describes her treatment by the police officers as “rude”.

Abir Sarras, who was born in Jerusalem, has held dual Dutch and Palestinian nationality since 2001. She began working for RNW last year as an editor for the Arabic desk. According to the Dutch ambassador in Tel Aviv, the Israeli authorities’ official reason for arresting Ms Sarras was that the last time she left the country, she did so via the border crossing between Jordan and the West Bank. As a Palestinian, she could only return by that same border crossing and not, as she did, via Tel Aviv airport. The Israeli ambassador was unavailable for comment.

Ms Sarras was travelling to Israel and Palestine with RNW editor Nicolien den Boer to produce a series of reports about the 60-year existence of the state of Israel and the commemoration of the nagba (catastrophe) for the Palestinians. Last week, following lengthy questioning, Den Boer received permission to enter Israel and to travel to the Palestinian territories.