Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi announced late Tuesday that Israel was revoking the order on the Associated Press (AP) after the government confiscated a camera and broadcast equipment belonging to the agency in southern Israel, accusing it of violate a new media law by providing images to Al Jazeera. “The Government will examine the transmissions and the risk to Israeli troops, which is why I have ordered to cancel the measure and return the confiscated material,” Karhi said. Al Jazeera is among the thousands of clients who receive live broadcasts from Ap and other agencies.
“AP condemns in the strongest terms the Israeli government’s actions to shut down our live broadcast, which shows a glimpse of Gaza, and confiscate equipment,” said Lauren Easton, the news agency’s vice president of communications. “The shutdown was not based on the content of the broadcast, but rather on Israel’s abusive use of the new foreign broadcasting law,” Easton added.
Officials from the Israeli Communications Ministry arrived at AP’s headquarters in Sderot on Tuesday afternoon, confiscated the equipment and handed over a paper signed by Karhi, alleging that the agency was violating foreign broadcasting law. Shortly before the equipment was confiscated, a general view of northern Gaza was being broadcast. Ap complies with Israel’s military censorship rules, which prohibit the broadcast of details such as troop movements.
The seizure followed a verbal order on Thursday to cease the live broadcast, which Ap refused. Israeli officials used the law to close Al Jazeera’s offices on May 5, confiscate the channel’s equipment, ban its broadcasts and block its websites.
