Israeli army patrols harassing journalists during a trip to the Jordan Valley.

RAMALLAH, October 4, 2016 (WAFA) – Israeli soldiers on Tuesday harassed journalists who were on a work trip to the Jordan Valley and held them for three hours, an information ministry official said.

Nida Younis, spokeswoman for the ministry, said the journalists were part of a group invited to visit and meet with Palestinian community in Ein Sakout area of the northern Jordan Valley when they were stopped and harassed by an Israeli army patrol.

“We were stopped by an Israeli patrol which prevented us from taking the road to Ein Sakout and forced us instead to take a very rough dirt road,” she said in a statement.

After arriving in Ein Sakout and meeting residents there, Younis added, “soldiers ordered us to leave the area and prevented us from continuing with our interviews.”

As the journalists were leaving, two army jeeps blocked the road and prevented them from leaving then held identity papers of the drivers and guides for three hours, said Younis, before allowing them to return to Ramallah.

The Ministry of Information organized the tour to the areas in the northern Jordan Valley threatened with Israeli takeover in spite of an Israeli court decision ordering return of 6500 dunums of land to their Palestinian owners. The Israeli authorities refuse so far to implement the court decision.

M.A.