THE Israeli-occupied West Bank is getting to be nearly as dangerous for TV reporters covering the action there as the Palestinians.
A CBS News crew was expelled from Ramallah yesterday by Israeli troops – and an MSNBC crew, fronted by NBC News correspondent Dana Lewis, was fired upon.
Lewis and his MSNBC crew were in an armored vehicle in Ramallah, as night was falling, when they were fired at by an Israeli soldier. No one was injured.
Lewis related the story on the air, by phone, to MSNBC anchor Ashleigh Banfield.
“We’re constantly checking in with Dana to see what’s going on,” said an MSNBC spokeswoman. “Since our reporters are working in a war zone it’s a bad situation to be in. We’re calling them constantly and assessing the situation.”
The CBS crew, which entered Ramallah on Sunday, was told to pack its bags and leave after about seven Israeli jeeps pulled up, CBS News producer Kate Rydell told the Associated Press.
“They took up positions along the street with their rifles at the ready,” Rydell said. “Two of them came up and asked to see passports.”
Rydell said the crew was told to leave the area because it was a closed military zone. Israeli soldiers did not confiscate any material or equipment, Rydell said.
CBS anchor Dan Rather arrived in Jerusalem yesterday and will anchor the “CBS Evening News” from there “for several days, depending on events,” CBS said yesterday.
Israel declared Ramallah, the site of PLO leader Yasser Arafat’s administrative center, a closed military zone last Friday, after the Israeli army occupied the area and confined Arafat to his office after a series of Palestinian suicide-bomb attacks.
But it did not start ordering news people out of the Ramallah area until yesterday, according to reports from various news organizations.
On Sunday, Boston Globe reporter Anthony Shadid was shot in the shoulder while in Ramallah. It has not been determined which side fired the shot.
Shadid is now recovering in a Jerusalem hospital.