Elias Zananiri, editor of the Arab-owned East Jerusalem English-language weekly Al-Awda, was detained by police Monday for questioning in connection with suspicion that he violated a law which prohibits expressions of solidarity with terrorist organizations. The publication’s owner, Ibrahim Karain, was questioned on Sunday.
The questioning concerned an editorial written by Zananiri last March in which he said the only solution to the Middle East conflict was a Palestinian state established through the “only legitimate leadership,” the Palestine Liberation Organization. Neither the editor nor the owner was told whether legal action would be initiated against them. Zananiri said his interrogation was part of a campaign aimed against all Palestinian journalists. He noted that the Israeli authorities recently expelled Akram Haniye, editor of the East Jerusalem Arabic daily A-Shaab and that last year two other East Jerusalem newspapers were closed down.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
