U.S. expels Israeli reporters from Iraq on espionage charges
|
SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Monday, March 31, 2003
TEL AVIV Ñ The U.S. Army has expelled two Israeli reporters from Iraq
and accused them of espionage.
Dan Scemama, a veteran for Israel's Broadcasting Authority, was detained
by U.S. troops and held for nearly two days until he was expelled from Iraq.
Scemama was taken to Kuwait, where he was asked to leave by authorities in
the sheikdom.
For more than a week, Scemama had accompanied U.S. troops who were
advancing toward Baghdad. Scemama was not embedded with any allied military
unit.
Scemama said he was roughly treated during his 48 hours detention and
U.S. commanders told he was suspected of espionage. Another Israeli
reporter, and Boaz Bismuth of the country's largest daily,Yedioth Aharonot,
was also detained and expelled.
"We were humiliated for many hours," Scemama said. "They did not let is
eat and they took all the means of communication we had on our persons."
|