Photojournalists killed in Israeli / Palestine conflict

[Red Dawn]

UN backs vision of Palestinian State

(text and picture extracted from above CNN article)



Raffaele Ciriello, an Italian free-lance photographer on assignment for the daily newspaper Corriere della Sera, was killed in Ramallah early Wednesday while covering the conflict, CNN's Sheila MacVicar reported. The Israel Defense Forces expressed deep regret for the death and said it is investigating the incident.

MacVicar reports that a colleague of Ciriello said they had been following Palestinian gunmen through the city. They were at a central plaza, where there were no exchanges of fire, when an Israeli tank pulled around a corner and opened fire without warning, hitting the photographer. He was shot six times in the abdomen and was pronounced dead in a Palestinian hospital.

The IDF said it is checking the circumstances, but stressed that any journalist who enters into a conflict zone is doing so at his or her own risk, especially if they do not coordinate activities with IDF.

MacVicar also reported that a French photojournalist, who was not immediately identified, was also wounded in Ramallah. He is listed in good condition at a hospital. Details of that incident were not immediately available.

[Ian]

It's sad but inevitable when covering armed conflict that someone from the press will cop it.

One thing should be remembered though, the press are all too aware of the dangers and as such it's an occupational hazard. There are numerous online articles dealing with the brutality meeted out to the press by the Israeli military in the West Bank.

One of the most concise is the following:

International Press Institute report on Israel and it's breaches of the press

Note: the Palestinian Authority isn't much better either when it comes to harasing the press when it so desires

[sbs99]

One of the reasons photojournalisms is so risky.
And more recognized profession around the world.