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Gideon Levy. Photo by AFP
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Haaretz journalists Gideon Levy and Alex Levac were detained by the Israel Defense Forces at the Tul Karm checkpoint on Monday.

The two were stopped by IDF soldiers as they crossed into Israel from the West Bank through the checkpoint at 1:30 P.M. Police were summoned to the spot by the soldiers, and took the two for questioning at the Ariel police station. After being questioned, Levy and Levac were released.

The Judea and Samaria Police District's spokesman said the soldiers had complained they were spit at and verbally abused by the journalists. During their questioning, Levy and Levac were asked by police investigators about insulting the soldiers and entering a forbidden zone - but no spitting accusations were mentioned.

Haaretz has requested the IDF military spokesman for a copy of footage taken by checkpoint security cameras, which captured the event.

Haaretz stated: "It is the role of the military and police to aid journalists in their essential work, not to undermine it through false accusations, and by all means not to arrest journalists while they are doing their job."

Levy said, "We must call a spade a spade. It was a false arrest of journalists, meant to harm their work. I have been covering the occupation for thirty years and I will continue to do so even if I get arrested every week."

At this time, the IDF spokesman has issued no statement on the matter.

Only last week, a Jerusalem court ruled that the enforcement of military decrees forbidding entrance to the West Bank – among these, the order forbidding entry to Area A – is discriminatory. Despite that, the orders are still being enforced by the IDF.

Since the start of the second intifada in 2000, the IDF has forbidden Jewish Israelis entrance to Area A regions, and to certain roads in areas bordering them. The military's order states only Palestinians may enter these areas, but in effect the military allows tourists and Arab Israelis passage, while forbidding it to Jewish Israelis.