Israeli Journalists Attacked in Istanbul

Amid acrimonious exchanges between Israel and Turkey over the Gaza crisis, two Israeli journalists were attacked in Istanbul on Wednesday during a reporting assignment.

Ohad Hemo, Palestinian affairs correspondent for Hadashot news, and cameraman Oded Bino were reporting from Istanbul’s Taksim Square when set upon by angry locals.

“A group of Turks recognized the “Hadashot” logo and the language [Hebrew] in which we were speaking. They stood and yelled ‘murderers, murderers;’ and then a few started pushing us,” said Hemo. “One of them started really hitting my cameraman.”

B’chasdei shamayim, they were able to flee the attackers before suffering any serious injuries.

“Bino is OK, he’s in a lot of pain,” he said, though neither required medical treatment.

“In a sense the incident symbolizes the mood, the atmosphere here in Istanbul. Another crisis in ties between Turkey and Israel. Again, you hear Erdogan and his associates orchestrating this thing and encouraging people to demonstrate and protest,” he said.

The two filed a complaint with Turkish police, who promised to track down the assailants.