Israel returns Associated Press equipment previously seized for contravening Al Jazeera law

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi has revoked the decision to confiscate the "The Associated Press'" (AP) broadcasting equipment which his officers seized on Tuesday from its Sderot branch.

Karhi ordered the equipment to be returned on Tuesday night.

Officials from the Communications Ministry arrived on Tuesday afternoon at AP's Sderot office and handed the staff a piece of paper signed by Karhi. The paper alleged that the outpost was violating Israel's new media law, which restricts certain broadcasts and includes a ban on Al Jazeera.

AP reported that shortly before the equipment was confiscated, it was being used to broadcast a general view of northern Gaza. Israel's military censorship rule prohibit broadcasts of details like troops movements that could endanger soldiers, however AP claim the live shot was purely showing smoke rising over the territory.

The Communications Ministry stated that the broadcasts were "illegal" and showed the activities of "IDF soldiers and endangers our fighters." Aside from the camera, the officers confiscated a tripod, two microphones, and a LiveU Net modem.

Later, the Communications Ministry also provided a video showing AP and Al Jazeera broadcasting the exact same footage.

The AP office received a verbal order on Thursday to cease the live transmission, however the news organization refused to comply.

The new law - dubbed the Al Jazeera law - was used by Israeli officials to shut down the Al Jazeera's offices on May 5 and confiscate its equipment, ban the channel's broadcasts, and block on its websites. The news outlet is a Qatari-satellite broadcaster.

Israel has long accused Al Jazeera of bias against Israel. According to AP, relations between the two took a turn for the worse two years ago when Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh was killed during an Israeli military raid in the West Bank.

Reactions to the interruption

Lauren Easton, VP of corporate communications at AP, said: "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," continued Easton. "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."

Opposition head Yair Lapid also commented on the seizure of AP's equipment by MK Shlomo Karhi's enforcers, calling it "an act of madness."

Lapid continued, "This is not Al Jazeera; this is an American media outlet that has won 53 Pulitzer Prizes. This government behaves as if it wants to ensure Israel is shunned all over the world. They've gone crazy."

Shlomo Karhi responded to Lapid's statements by saying on X: "Even if you [Lapid] decide to become a freelancer for a terrorist channel that endangers our fighters and broadcast the locations of our forces to them with your camera, I will make sure that the inspectors of the Communications Ministry of Communications find you."

Karhi continued, "As a reminder, the law was passed unanimously by the government, with the overwhelming support of all security forces, and it states that devices used to broadcast Al Jazeera content must be seized. In this case, the AP was warned in advance last week and refused to stop broadcasting to this terrorist channel."

"We will continue to act resolutely against anyone who tries to harm our soldiers and the security of the country, even if you don't like it."

יו״ר האופוזיציה הנכבד, ״אנשיו של שלמה קרעי״ הם גורמי המקצוע המסורים של משרד התקשורת המקיימים את הוראות החוק והחלטות הממשלה.אגב, גם אם אתה(!) תחליט להפוך לפרילנסר של ערוץ טרור המסכן את לוחמינו ותשדר להם מיקומים של כוחותינו עם מצלמה שלך, אדאג שפקחי משרד התקשורת יגיעו אליך.… https://t.co/8RnAUc3pdn

— שלמה קרעי - Shlomo Karhi (@shlomo_karhi) May 21, 2024

The Foreign Press Association, the umbrella body that seeks to protect the rights and freedom of operation of internationally-based media organizations and their staff in Israel, issued a statement saying that it is "alarmed" by Israel’s confiscation of the Associated Press’s broadcasting equipment today along the Israeli border near Gaza. 

 "The Israeli Communications Ministry said its move was to block AP from providing footage to Al Jazeera, one of hundreds of AP clients around the globe, after Israel banned the network from operating locally under a new media law May 5. But today’s outrageous move also blocks AP from providing crucial images of northern Gaza to all other media outlets around the world," said the association.

"Israel’s move today is a slippery slope. Israel could block other international news agencies from providing live footage of Gaza. It also could allow Israel to block media coverage of virtually any news event on vague security grounds.

"Israel’s record on press freedom already has been dismal throughout the war. For the entire conflict, it has prevented independent access to Gaza for foreign journalists. Now it has taken another step backward away from the democratic ideals it claims to uphold," the statement concluded.

Is the right to free speech being curtailed?

On 1 April, Benjamin Netanyahu posted on X that “The terrorist channel Al Jazeera will no longer broadcast from Israel. I intend to act immediately in accordance with the new law to stop the channel’s activity.”

The decision was condemned by international bodies such as NUJ and IFJ.

הממשלה בראשותי החליטה פה אחד: ערוץ ההסתה אל ג׳זירה ייסגר בישראל. תודה לשר @shlomo_karhi

— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) May 5, 2024

The new law, according to NUJ, allows the Israeli government to "issue orders valid for 45 days, temporarily preventing broadcasting and allowing for the confiscation of equipment of foreign media, if Israel’s security agencies provide an opinion proving there is a threat to national security." These orders can be renewed for future 45 day periods. 

White House comments

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called journalism a "pillar of democracy" on Tuesday morning aboard Air Force One, stopping short of fully condemning Israel's seizure of the Associated Press' equipment. 

The White House is "looking into it," Jean-Pierre said. 

"You hear this from me and obviously, the President himself, when we talk about journalism, the importance and how essential it is to the pillars of our democracy," Jean-Pierre said. 

"Obviously, this is concerning," she said. "And so we want to look into it."

On Tuesday evening, the White House appealed to Israel and asked it to revoke its decision to confiscate the AP equipment, according to Hebrew media.

Hannah Sarisohn contributed to this report.