British journalist denied entry to Israel on grounds that she is 'not objective'

Haaretz.com ^ | August 12, 2004 | Yoav Stern

[SamiGirl]

A British journalist has been detained since Wednesday at Ben-Gurion International Airport after security forces denied her entry into the country on the grounds that she is a left-wing activist who could not be objective in her portrayal of local events and who could unknowingly assist violent organizations.

The journalist, 26-year-old Eva Jasiewicd, was interrogated for seven hours Wednesday by Defense Ministry officials.

The questioning resulted in a ministry decision to deport her from Israel, possibly as soon as Friday morning.

Jasiewicd told her interrogators that she had arrived in Israel to work for a British magazine associated with the left-wing, as well as for the Labour Party's internal newspaper.

She also said that she is a graduate of the University of London, with degrees in both Anthropology and journalism.

"She was not coming as a journalist, she was coming for political activism. That in itself would not prevent her entry into Israel but the fact that she entered in the past under aliases is enough, it's a violation in any country," said government spokesman Danny Seaman.

Jasiewicz's lawyer Yael Barda said her client visited Israel under a different name in the past but had changed her name legally in order to avoid attempts by Israeli officials to bar her from entering the country.

"It wasn't an alias. She legally changed her name and then ... she decided (this time) she didn't want to hide her identity so she changed her name back," Barda said.

She added the real reason authorities were trying to bar Jasiewicz's entry into the country was because "she posed a media threat."

Barda, filed an urgent petition with the Tel Aviv District Court to try and allow her client to stay in the country.

Barda said her client told authorities that she had connections to the International Solidarity Movement and was an advocacy journalist. "She does say 'I am a journalist with an agenda. I write about human writes and activism'," Barda said.

"My client believes that the freedom of the press is critical in these kinds of conflicts," Barda said.

[SamiGirl]

Barda said her client told authorities that she had connections to the International Solidarity Movement and was an advocacy journalist.

That tells me everything I need to know about this "journalist."

This is my first post, so forgive any mistakes.

[sionnsar]

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[sionnsar]

Jasiewicz's lawyer Yael Barda said her client visited Israel under a different name in the past but had changed her name legally in order to avoid attempts by Israeli officials to bar her from entering the country.

"It wasn't an alias..."

A distinction without a difference...

[Sans-Culotte]

Interesting that the Israelis at least know the difference between a journalist and a quisling. Would that the Patriot Act would allow us to try to separate the two.

[Doctor Raoul]

The questioning resulted in a ministry decision to deport her from Israel, possibly as soon as Friday morning.

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS
DEPORT PETER JENNINGS

[SwinneySwitch]

"It wasn't an alias. She legally changed her name and then ... she decided (this time) she didn't want to hide her identity so she changed her name back," Barda said.

Did she legally change her name back? If not, then is her original name an alias?

Oh, what a tangled web we weave...

[Snuffington]

"My client believes that the freedom of the press is critical in these kinds of conflicts," Barda said.

Wonderful. Then let me use some of my freedom to say leftist tools of Islamicists are utter morons.

There is not a single country in the region that respects freedom of the press as much as Israel. How many of them has this fool criticized?

[cripplecreek]

Sounds like we should expect a flood of American journalists out of Israel soon. MSNBC, ABC, CBS, etc etc etc.

[vpintheak]

The headline for the actual story is misleading. She has entered under an assumed name, and was there as a political activist, doesn't have much to do with journalism. At least that's what it sounds like to little old me.

[Arpege92]

I'd love to deport Jennings!

[dennisw]

Why is this even an issue? Keep this witch the heck out. Let her rant and rave outside of Israel.

[perfect stranger]

"I write about human writes and activism'," Barda said."LOL

[cripplecreek]

Objectivity doesnt get in the way of Keith Olberman on MSNBC.

Tonight he and another resident hack found a poll of Michigan residents that showed 51% would vote for Bush. They couldn't allow that so they spent 15 minutes discrediting the poll results.

[cookcounty]

"Hate Speech" comes home to roost.

[okie01]

"She has entered under an assumed name, and was there as a political activist, doesn't have much to do with journalism."

Nor, apparently, does she.

[hauerf]

"It wasn't an alias. She legally changed her name and then ... she decided (this time) she didn't want to hide her identity so she changed her name back," Barda said.

Uh huh. Got it. Thanks for the obfuscation, er rather, clarification.

[LibWhacker]

Yep, I think she changed the spelling of her name. When I googled 'Jasiewicd,' I got nothing but a recommendation from Google to try 'Jasiewicz.' I think this might be her:

For the last eight months Ewa Jasiewicz has been living in Baghdad and Basra, supporting human rights groups, womens organisations, families, workers, trade unionists and Palestinian refugees. She also lived for 6 months with communities of resistance in Jenin and Nablus in Occupied Palestine, volunteering with Paramedics at the Red Crescent Society, monitoring checkpoints, delivering food and medicine, accompanying council workers, teachers and children during curfew, and organising demonstrations. She has written for Red Pepper, Electronic Iraq, Z-Net, Counterpunch, Infoshop, Occupation Watch and The Socialist Review in the US.

Also, An an interview with Ewa Jasiewicz (MP3). Bet 'ya didn't know we were using B52s in Fallujah!

[dennisw]

She's babe-a-licious but it still couldn't get her into into Izzyland. 'Cause she's a rotten agitator ISMer like St. Pancake.

[alrea]

"My client believes that the freedom of the press is critical in these kinds of conflicts,"

leftist activists under cover as journalists