Former TEC reporter experiences West Bank security

On July 14, just two months after graduating with a degree in broadcast journalism from ECU, Nadiah Sarsour, along with four colleagues, were stopped for nearly an hour at an Israeli Defense Force checkpoint while headed to cover a story.

Sarsour, a former reporter for The East Carolinian, was in Palestine on vacation when she was offered a job with Al-Watan, a news agency in Ramallah -- a major Palestinian city on the West Bank.

The region ranks eighth for the number of journalists jailed in 2008, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, but Sarsour saw being in an area known for chronic conflict as a chance to learn journalism in an area with an abundance of uncovered news.

"I was working with WITN, but I got an opportunity. As a news reporter, you don't say 'no' when you're in a place with a lot of action," she said. Within her first week of working with Al-Watan, she would witness the frustrations and the tensions that ride high along roads where Palestinians travel daily.

While traveling six miles northeast of Ramallah near the town of Surda, a line of cars filled a road where traffic usually flowed freely.

"As we got down further, we found out there was checkpoint. …The road was full for miles and miles," she said. Sarsour said in the past there had been a checkpoint there, but not for years. Now one had been placed there again.

The checkpoint was a mobile checkpoint -- one that could be placed quickly and removed when not in use.

Unsure why it was re-established, Sarsour said she saw an opportunity for an impromptu story. She and the news crew she was traveling with passed the other cars to get to the front of the line to get footage for the report. As one of the cameramen prepared to film, Sarsour said an Israeli soldier approached them.

"One of the Israeli soldiers came forward and said we can't shoot anything," she said. "The videographer said we were just doing work. He (the soldier) forced us back into the car."

Jalil Roshandel, director of security studies at ECU said states are very protective regarding their security -- especially Israel, a state suffering from insecurity. "States become very protective, and sometimes the principles of democracy are not applied," he said.

Next, said Sarsour, the soldier asked them to give him the camera battery and videotape. When they refused he began hitting their vehicle with his rifle. They were stopped on the side of the road for more than an hour while they were verbally assaulted and harassed by the IDF, she said.

"Saying, 'We are just doing our work,' is not enough for a solider whose main concern is security," said Roshandel -- security that includes making sure everyone is carrying the proper identification and credentials.

Captain Elie Isaacson, a spokesperson for the IDF, says there is no record of the incident, but to get through a checkpoint smoothly, journalists must have Government Press Office credentials. According to their official Web site, the GPO is responsible for coordinating communication between the Israeli government and the press.

All journalists should have a journalist press card that shows they are allowed to work in the area. Isaacson said the record was checked and Sarsour was not a GPO cardholder. The East Carolinian was unable to confirm her press credentials by press time.

Sarsour and the news crew were finally allowed to leave when they threatened to report the delay to other news outlets. "We called our main office and told them to let everybody know we weren't being allowed to move and not being allowed to go," she said. The camera battery was confiscated by the IDF, but the crew left unharmed with their videotape.

"You find all kinds of people hanging out in war zones unfortunately … people who are not registered to any sort of organizations or aren't registered journalists," Isaacson said in a telephone interview.

Isaacson said terrorists such as suicide bombers take advantage of Israel's free press and have in the past disguised themselves as members of the press by riding in cars with the letters "TV" on the top indicating they were part of a news crew.

By disguising themselves as media, terrorists gain access to people in protected areas. Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei survived an attack in 1981 when a bomb disguised as a tape recorder detonated in front of him.

Roshandel said the incident might have been an overreaction by security at the checkpoint and they should have more information from headquarters on how to deal with journalists in a more civilized way.

"At the minimum, they should have explained to her the situation and told her the local rules that apply," he said.

Isaacson said the checkpoints work to keep both the Israelis and the Palestinians safe and most journalists in the area are familiar with the Israel's policies, so there isn't usually a problem.

In 2000, there was a period of time where there were suicide bombings or terrorist attacks throughout the West Bank daily. Over time, the checkpoints were set up to try and limit the mobility of terrorists in the area.

According to Isaacson, setting up a mobile checkpoint in an area typically roadblock-free usually indicates some "specific intel about a certain terrorist or person traveling through the road."

He felt Sarsour's incident seemed unusual because it's not something the IDF typically does and because it doesn't seem it would serve any purpose.

Since the incident, Sarsour has chosen to stay in Ramallah and continue to work as correspondent for Al-Watan.

WITN news director, Stephanie Shoop, said Sarsour was a hardworking and dedicated employee in her time at WITN in Greenville. "We applaud Nadiah for her journalistic work in such a difficult arena, and we hope for her safety," she said.

For Sarsour, her first week on the job in the West Bank turned out to be a valuable experience in international relations.

"At most," said Roshandel, "an ECU graduate learned her first lesson in the practical world. Despite all you learn in a school, there is a lot to learn in practice."

This writer can be contacted at news@theeastcarolinian.com.