EL-ARISH: Egyptian military prosecutors were interrogating an Israeli journalist on Tuesday after arresting him at the border as he tried to cross illegally with an African migrant, a security source said, adding the journalist risks a military trial.
Yotam Feldman and the Ghanian were arrested on Sunday along a route used by smugglers who help African migrants into Israel, officials said.
The security source said military prosecutors decided to interrogate Feldman because they had doubts about his account of accompanying the migrant to do a report for Israel s Channel 10 television.
A spokesman for the channel told AFP Feldman was in Egypt for a report on African migrants and the channel was asking for his release.
The security source said the prosecution would decide whether to commit Feldman, 30, to trial before a military court on charges of illegally crossing the border, which could lead to a sentence of one year in prison.
Military courts are presided over by an officer and allow no right of appeal, but they may decide to suspend a sentence.
The Sinai desert border between Egypt and Israel has become a major trafficking route for migrants from Africa seeking opportunities in Israel.
Egypt has stepped up controls on the 250-kilometer border but has drawn criticism from human rights watchdogs for its readiness to use force to prevent illegal crossings.
Its police have killed dozens of African migrants in the past few years as they tried to cross the border.
On Sunday, the Israeli government gave final approval for the construction of a barrier along the border in a bid to curb the entry of illegal immigrants. -AFP
