Aviv Frenkel
צילום: ערוץ 10
Israeli reporter questioned in Jordan
Channel 10's Aviv Frenkel, photographer accompanying him detained while attempting to shoot report on situation in southern Israel from Jordanian point of view
Channel 10 television reporter Aviv Frenkel and photographer Nader Bagdasar were questioned by Jordanian authorities on Thursday morning after arriving in the kingdom in order to shoot a feature story on the situation in southern Israel and the Gaza Strip from a Jordanian point of view.
The two were released in the afternoon hours and returned to Israel.
Talking to Ynet minutes after their return, Frenkel said that "it was unpleasant. We decided to find a different angle to cover the situation, to hear what our best neighbor has to say.
"Even before going there I knew that the ground was bubbling due to the situation, and one must also remember that 70% of Jordan's population is comprised of Palestinians, some of whom lived in Gaza in the past and some of whom have relatives there and who we also met.
"In any event, we decided to fly to Eilat and then cross the border, and we started touring the area. Some of the people were very polite and offered diplomatic responses. But there were also people who were very brutal and shouted terrible things at us."
One of the people interviewed by Frenkel is believed to have contacted the Jordanian secret service. Several minutes later, a car stopped near the Israeli vehicle and its three passengers invited the reporter and photographer for coffee.
"We went into a room where we were met by the Jordanian governor of the Aqaba district," Frenkel said. "The photographer already knew what it means when someone asks you for coffee. They started talking to us. They were courteous and tried to understand what we were doing. They also looked at the tapes with the material we had shot.
"After a long while they offered us a 'courteous' ride to the border crossing, and waited there to see us go through the border control."
'Why are you helping the Jews?'
After their passports were checked and as they were making their way back to Israel, the two were approached by another officer who asked them who was Nader and took them in for questioning.
"This interrogation was a lot less pleasant and included some tough questions. At a certain stage, the questions began referring to the situation, such as 'Why are you helping the Jews?', 'Do you like them?', etcetera.
"Then I was also taken into the interrogation room, where I was asked what I was doing in Jordan and about the situation. I began thinking about films like 'Midnight Express' and it was very unpleasant. I didn’t fear for my life, but the situation was unpleasant, particularly when the investigator brought in his feelings about the situation."
Despite the unpleasant feelings and the great pressure, the two were eventually released and crossed the border back to Israel.
"Our feeling was that we had to be as cool as possible, give them the answers they want to hear and return safely," said Frenkel. His report will be broadcast on Channel 10's upcoming Saturday edition.
