AP photographer beaten by Israeli police in east Jerusalem

The AP said it was outraged by the violence against staffer Mahmoud Illean, while a prominent journalists´ advocacy group called for disciplinary action against the officers involved.

Illean had been covering a weekly demonstration in the east Jerusalem (Al-Quds) neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, where longtime Palestinian residents are battling efforts by illegal Zionist settlers to evict them from their homes.

According to Illean, Friday´s demonstration was relatively quiet, with only minor scuffles between Israel´s paramilitary border police and protesters.

He said that about 15 minutes after the demonstration wrapped up, he was approached by a group of border police officers who threw stun grenades toward him.

Video from the scene shows Illean standing in front of a white car when one of the officers approaches him, pushes him backward onto the ground and then proceeds to punch him several times. A second video showed Illean photographing police attacking several other journalists before the officer turned on him.

The Foreign Press Association, which represents some 400 journalists working for international media in Israel and the Palestinian territories, said Friday´s incident was the latest in a string of attacks on journalists by the border police.