De Israelische Terreur 401

'GAZA CITY, Jun 28 (IPS) - Mohammed Omer, the Gaza correspondent of IPS, andjoint winner of the 2008 Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism, wasstrip-searched at gunpoint, assaulted and abused by Israeli security officialsat the Allenby border crossing between Jordan and the West Bank on Thursday ashe tried to return home to Gaza.Omer, a resident of Rafah in the south of Gaza, and previous recipient of theNew America Media's Best Youth Voice award several years ago, was returningfrom London where he had just collected his Gellhorn Prize, and from severalEuropean capitals where he had speaking engagements, including a meeting withGreek parliamentarians.Omer's trip was sponsored by The Washington Report, and the Dutch embassy inTel Aviv was responsible for coordinating Omer's travel plans and his securitypermit to leave Gaza with Israeli officials.Israel controls the borders of Gaza and severely restricts the entrance andexit of Gazans allegedly on grounds of security. Human rights organisationsaccuse the Israelis of using security as a pretext to apply collectivepunishment indiscriminately.While waiting in Amman on his way back, Omer eventually received the requisitecoordination and security clearance from the Israelis to return to Gaza afterthis had initially been delayed by several days, he told IPS.Accompanied by Dutch diplomats, Omer passed through the Jordanian side of theborder without incident. However, after arrival on the Israeli side, troublebegan. He informed a female soldier that he was returning home to Gaza. He wasrepeatedly asked where Gaza was, and told that he had neither a permit nor anycoordination to cross.Omer explained that he did indeed have permission and coordination but wasnevertheless taken to a room by Israel's domestic intelligence agency the ShinBet, where he was isolated for an hour and a half without explanation."Eventually I was asked whether I had a knife or gun on me even though I hadalready passed through the x-ray machine, had my luggage searched, and was inthe company of Dutch diplomats," Omer said.His luggage was again searched, and security then proceeded to go through everydocument and paper he had on him, taking down the names and numbers of theEuropean parliamentary officials he had met.'

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