Israeli authorities backed down in the face of widespread media condemnation and criticism from its closest ally, the United States.
Updated 23:50 CET 05/21/2024:Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, a member of Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, said late Tuesday that he had ordered officials to reverse the initial decision and return the confiscated equipment, pending a decision by the Ministry of Defense, which he said wanted to examine the issue.
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The initial dispatch follows:
Israeli officials seized a camera and broadcast equipment belonging to The Associated Press in southern Israel on Tuesday.
Officials accused the news organization of violating the new ban on Al Jazeera.
The Qatari satellite channel is among thousands of customers who receive live video feeds from AP and other news organizations. AP denounced this decision.
“The Associated Press denounces in the strongest possible terms the Israeli government’s actions to shut down our long-running live feed showing a view of Gaza and seize AP equipment” said Lauren Easton, vice president of corporate communications at AP.
“The shutdown was not based on the content of the stream, but rather the Israeli government’s misuse of the country’s new law on foreign broadcasters. We urge the Israeli authorities to return our equipment and allow us to immediately restore our live feed so that we can continue providing this important visual journalism to thousands of media outlets around the world“, communicated AP.
Communications Ministry officials handed the media outlet a document, signed by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, alleging that it violated the country’s new law on foreign broadcasters.
Videos taken from the scene show two Israeli officials discussing the equipment they seized, before confiscating the camera kits.
Shortly before the equipment was seized, AP broadcast live a general view of northern Gaza.
AP says it complies with Israel’s military censorship rules, which prohibit the broadcast of details such as troop movements that could endanger soldiers. The video broadcast generally showed smoke rising from the territory.
On a video taken during the intervention of the Israeli authorities showing the skyline, we can hear “A microphone on the roof used to receive explosion sounds is connected directly to the camera“. We then hear the microphone being disconnected.
The seizure followed a verbal order given Thursday to stop live transmission, which the news organization refused to do.
Israeli officials used the new law to close the Qatar-based broadcaster’s offices on May 5, confiscate its equipment, ban its broadcasts and block its websites.
Israel has long had a difficult relationship with Al Jazeera, accusing it of bias against Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the channel a “terrorist channel.”
Al Jazeera is one of the few international media outlets to have remained in Gaza throughout the war, broadcasting scenes of airstrikes and overcrowded hospitals and accusing Israel of massacres.