Netanyahu Orders Return of Seized AP Equipment Following US Pressure
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi to return equipment that was previously confiscated from the Associated Press (AP) after pressure from the United States, Israeli state-owned Kan TV news reported.
“Since the Defense Ministry wants to examine the issue of transmissions from these locations in Sderot regarding the risk to our forces, I have now ordered the cancellation of the operation and the return of the equipment to the AP,” Karhi was quoted as saying.
On Tuesday, Israeli Communications Ministry inspectors confiscated photographic equipment and halted a live broadcast by the US-based AP in Sderot, near the Gaza Strip, as the AP team documented the situation in Gaza amid the ongoing conflict. The ministry cited a new Israeli law enacted in April, which allowed the government to bar the broadcasting of the Qatari news channel Al Jazeera in Israel, claiming that AP violated the law by transferring filmed materials to Al Jazeera.
In response, AP stated, “We strongly disavow the action of the Israeli government. The shutdown was not based on the content of the feed but on the government’s misuse of the new foreign broadcasting law,” and urged Israeli authorities “to return our equipment and allow us to resume our live feed immediately.”
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office noted that Karhi did not inform Netanyahu about the confiscation. The White House expressed concern over Israel’s actions against AP, emphasizing that journalists should be able to perform their duties. The Foreign Press Association in Israel criticized the move, calling it “the latest in a series of chilling steps by the Israeli government to stifle the media.”
