Israeli police briefly detain, question Israeli journalist over tweet praising Palestinian
Occupied Palestine (QNN)- Israeli occupation police briefly arrested and questioned an Israeli journalist on Tuesday over tweets he posted praising a Palestinian who was accused of planning to carry out an alleged operation against Israeli forces.
The reporter from the ultra-Orthodox community who worked at Democrat TV, Israel Frey, was briefly arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of inciting terrorism. Frey was released late on Tuesday after questioning.
In September, Frey praised a Palestinian man who was caught by Israeli police in Yafa city with weapons and an explosive device. He was allegedly planning to carry out an operation in the city.
In a tweet at the time, Frey called the Palestinian a “hero” for making it “all the way from Nablus to Tel Aviv” and looking for “legitimate targets”.
“Even though all the Israelis around him somehow take part in the oppression, crushing and killing of his own people, he still looked for legitimate targets and avoided harming innocent people. In a reformed state he would have received a medal,” he said.
תראו מה זה גיבור.
הוא עשה את כל הדרך משכם עד תל אביב, ולמרות שכל הישראלים סביבו לוקחים איכשהו חלק בדיכוי, ריסוק והרג בני עמו – הוא בכל זאת חיפש מטרות לגיטימיות ונמנע מפגיעה בחפים מפשע.
בעולם מתוקן הוא היה מקבל מדליה. pic.twitter.com/5w8JTnC431
— ישראל פריי (@freyisrael1) September 11, 2022
A November investigation into Frey had been launched by the state attorney’s office, but Frey failed to appear for questioning at the time, which prompted an arrest warrant, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
Ever since, Haaretz reported that Frey was fired by the independent television station Democrat TV a few weeks ago – which was not unconnected to the tweet over which he was summoned for questioning – he’s been without a journalistic home. Consequently, he has also lacked legal backing and the support of editors.
The right-wing non-profit Btsalmo organization filed a complaint accusing Frey of inciting terrorism and violence over the tweet.
After his release on Tuesday, Frey accused the new Israeli government of being “fascist” and wanting to make us “weak and scared”.
“There is only one way to keep your chin up when facing a fascist regime; there is no middle ground, there is no statesmanship. [The only response] is to fight for full equality and freedom for every person from the river to the sea,” he said in a video posted online by Haaretz’s Noa Landau.
ישראל פריי בצאתו מהחקירה pic.twitter.com/pxKDKP20Ab
— Noa Landau נעה לנדאו (@noa_landau) December 27, 2022
“By arresting Frey, police made themselves a megaphone for his opinions and reports, giving them far greater reach than either they or he had ever expected. And for that, we should thank them,” Haaretz wrote.
Gaby Lasky, a former MP and Frey’s lawyer, confirmed his arrest in a statement, saying it was a “political arrest aimed at terrorizing and intimidating… anyone in the opposition”.
“Today it’s Frey, tomorrow it’s all of us,” she added.
Referring to the new government with significant far-right influences, Frey said in response to being summoned in November that the “new regime” wanted to scare him.
“The new regime has already arrived. It is violent, fascist, terrorizes and bleeds political opponents, and now wants to scare me. Our dear country is coming under the control of anti-democratic forces, the police minister is an avowed nationalist. I have no intention of lowering my head,” he said.
