Israel to Return Seized AP Equipment After Fierce Backlash
AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg
The Israeli government backtracked on Tuesday after its seizure of Associated Press camera equipment caused a fierce backlash earlier in the day.
Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi ordered the equipment taken from the AP returned saying, “The Communications Ministry acted today to confiscate equipment that, despite repeated warnings, transmitted to Al Jazeera about the positions of our forces in the northern Gaza Strip while putting them at risk — in accordance with security opinions and the government’s decision.”
“Since the Ministry of Defense wishes to examine the matter of the broadcasts from these locations in Sderot regarding the risk to our forces, I have now ordered a cancellation of the operation and return the equipment to AP, until a different decision is made by the Ministry of Defense,” Karhi added.
Earlier in the day the AP released a statement harshly condemning Israel for taking its equipment and cutting a live feed that was being used by Al Jazeera, among its many other clients.
Lauren Easton, vice president of corporate communications, put out a statement, saying, “The Associated Press decries in the strongest terms the actions of the Israeli government to shut down our longstanding live feed showing a view into Gaza and seize AP equipment.”
“The shutdown was not based on the content of the feed but rather an abusive use by the Israeli government of the country’s new foreign broadcaster law. We urge the Israeli authorities to return our equipment and enable us to reinstate our live feed immediately so we can continue to provide this important visual journalism to thousands of media outlets around the world,” Easton added.
The AP, like other news agencies, offer live streams from around the world to their client publications. The Israeli government accused the agency of violating its controversial new law by providing that live feed to Qatar-owned Al Jazeera, which Israel had shuttered in recent weeks.
The AP made clear in their reporting on the incident that they comply with all of “with Israel’s military censorship rules, which prohibit broadcasts of details like troops movements that could endanger soldiers. The live shot has generally shown smoke rising over the territory.”
Israeli opposition Leader Yair Lapid slammed the initial move, saying, “The confiscation of the equipment of the AP, the world’s largest news agency, by minister of Communications Shlomo Karhi’s people, is an act of madness. This is not Al Jazeera, this is an American media outlet that has won 53 Pulitzer Prizes. This government behaves as if it has decided to make sure at all costs that Israel will be a pariah all over the world. They went crazy.”
