Union condemns Israel extending journalist detention

The journalists' union on Saturday condemned Israel's decision to hold a Palestinian journalist in jail for a further three months, without pressing charges. Israeli forces detained Nawwaf al-Amer, a program coordinator for al-Quds satellite TV station, in June from his home near Nablus in the northern West Bank. In October his administrative detention order was renewed for four months, without notifying him of the accusations against him, media freedoms group MADA said. Al-Amer's detention without charge was renewed again this week, the union statement said. The journalists union said Amer suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure, and needs constant medical attention. It called on international journalists' groups to intervene to halt Israel's violation of media freedoms. "The international silence towards the constant Israeli violations against journalists shows that Israel has immunity from the law," the group said in a statement. Israeli forces detained eight journalists in Dec. 2011, MADA said in its latest report. There are currently 280 Palestinian prisoners in administrative detention in Israeli jails.