Israel is holding a journalist for the al-Jazeera television network on charges that he belongs to the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Al-Jazeera's Kabul bureau chief Samer Allawi appeared before an Israeli military judge Tuesday and was told of the accusations. He denied the charges.
Al-Jazeera's Arabic-language network said Israeli authorities arrested Allawi on August 10 as he tried to leave the Israeli-occupied West Bank for Jordan. It says Allawi had been vacationing at his home village of Sebastia prior to his arrest. He carries a Jordanian passport.
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Mohamed Abdel Dayem, Committee to Protect Journalists, spoke with Susan Yackee about the case of Samer Allawi:
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The journalist's family told his employers that Israel informed them his arrest was "security-related."
Israeli authorities have confirmed the arrest, but refused to comment further.
Hamas controls the Gaza Strip. Israel, the United States and the European Union consider the group to be a terrorist organization.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
