Sharri Markson detained by Israeli security
Well-known Australian journalist Sharri Markson was detained by Israeli security for breaching protocol when visiting an Israeli hospital treating injured Syrians.
Sharri Markson Photo: Twitter
Markson, who writes for The Australian, was on a study mission with seven other Australian journalists organised jointly by The New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies and The Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council.
The group was visiting the Ziv Medical Centre in Safed which has been treating victims of the Syrian civil war. The group was told not to make contact with the patients as disclosing their presence in Israel could endanger their lives on their return to Syria.
Markson is reported to have broken away from the group and exchanged contact details with patients.
Security was fast to move detaining the journalist for questioning. Reports say they demanded her passport, mobile phone and notes.
The situation was resolved through the intervention of NSWJBD CEO Vic Alhadeff.
Alhadeff told J-Wire: “The issue was the identities of the Syrian patients and the need to maintain that confidentiality. Breaching it would endanger the lives of those patients, which was why Israeli security and the hospital authorities responded as they did – out of concern that there might be a breach. The situation was quickly resolved.”
The eight journalists were in fact two contingents, four hosted by the NSWJBD and the others by AIJAC. Markson was a guest of AIJAC.
AIJAC’s executive director Dr. Colin Rubenstein told J-Wire: “While I was not there, Aijac’s representative in the group has confirmed that while the hospital authorities were understandably initially concerned about maintaining security guidelines, the matter was quickly resolved once they were reassured that Sharri had no intention of compromising the identity of the Syrian patients . Indeed ,we have no reason to believe she would have acted in any other way!”
J-Wire has asked Markson for comment and understands she stayed on in Israel after the study tour.
Markson tweeted:
It’s the media, It wasn’t about security issue; everyone knows it, they are making a show for the media and they know that she is not going to give any identities to anyone;they are more concerned with how Gentile nations will respond to Israeli self-defense how they treat enemy combatants, than with protecting its Jewish citizens..Israeli security authorities is more preoccupied of the lives of enemy combatants than Jewish lives They should set up patrol for Jewish residents instead of treating sworn enemies of Israel.