Israeli court puts deportation order against US journalist on hold, seeks explanation
By APThursday, January 14, 2010
Israel court holds off on deporting US journalist
JERUSALEM — An Israeli court has put off the deportation of a detained Jewish-American journalist working for a Palestinian news agency.
The court said on Thursday it seeks more information about the case of Jared Malsin.
Malsin was detained at Tel Aviv airport on Tuesday after arriving on a flight from Prague. He has been accused of lying about his reasons for wanting to enter Israel and repeatedly overstaying his visa on past visits.
Court records quote authorities as raising doubts about Malsin’s claims he is considering immigrating to Israel because he has written articles criticizing Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.
Malsin is the English-language editor of the Maan news agency. It says he is being punished for his reporting. The U.S. Embassy had no comment.
