Israel releases Al Jazeera journalist after hours-long arrest

Al Jazeera Arabic journalist Givara Budeiri has been released from custody several hours after she was arrested by Israeli police while covering a demonstration in the occupied East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah.

Israeli police assaulted the Doha-based media network’s Jerusalem correspondent while arresting her on Saturday and destroyed equipment belonging to Al Jazeera cameraman Nabil Mazzawi. Budeiri’s arrest drew sharp condemnation from press freedom advocates and media watchdogs.

“They came from everywhere, I don’t know why, they kicked me to the wall,” Budeiri told Al Jazeera, moments after her release late on Saturday.

“They kicked me inside the car in a very bad way … they were kicking me from everywhere,” she said.

Budeiri was reporting on a sit-in marking the 54th anniversary of the Naksa, meaning “setback”, a term Palestinians use to describe the Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip in 1967.

Sheikh Jarrah has also been the site of demonstrations for weeks in support of Palestinian families facing expulsion to make way for Jewish settlers.

Budeiri has worked as a journalist for Al Jazeera since 2000. She was wearing a flak jacket marked “press” when she was arrested and holds an Israeli Government Press Office (GPO) card.

However, she said she was “treated as a criminal” when she was taken to the police station and prevented from removing her heavy flak jacket or closing her eyes. She said the police accused her of kicking a female soldier – an accusation she vehemently denied.

Budeiri said she was released on the condition that she does not go to Sheikh Jarrah for 15 days.