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American journalist still imprisoned at airport

US journalist Jared Malsin is still being held in a detention centre at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion international airport.

He was arrested on arrival at the airport on 12 January and questioned for eight hours about his work as a journalist for Ma'an, an independent Palestinian news agency based in Bethlehem. He was due to be taken before a judge on Sunday 17 January but the hearing did not take place.

Malsin is being held in cell 106 at the airport where it is difficult for him to have any contact with his lawyer, Mr Daoud.

His girlfriend, Faith Rowold, who was arrested at the same time, was expelled from Israel on 14 January.

14.01.2010 - Imminent deportation of US journalist working in West Bank

Reporters Without Borders condemns the detention and imminent expulsion of US journalist Jared Malsin, who has worked for the past two years as an editor with Ma'an, an independent Palestinian news agency based in the West Bank city of Bethlehem.

Malsin, 26, was arrested and placed in a detention centre on arriving at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport on the afternoon of 12 January on a flight from Europe. One of his colleagues told Reporters Without Borders he was due to be deported to the United States on a flight departing at 6 a.m. today.

The Israeli authorities have accused him of working without a permit.

"That's ridiculous," a Ma'an journalist said. "Everyone knows that the Israelis don't issue work permits for the West Bank. He is clearly being made to pay for working for this Palestinian news media."

Topics: Freedom of speech, Freedom of information, Freedom of expression,