Israel’s High Court of Justice has ruled that the Government Press Office was within its rights to revoke a press pass for a journalist with CBS.
The following is a direct translation of the court ruling (which, it must be stressed, was provided by the GPO):
The Supreme Court sitting as the High Court of Justice. (Case Number 6546/02)
Before: Judge Jacob Turkel,
Judge Izhak Englard,
Judge Edmond A. Levy.
The appellants: 1. CBS News,
2. Khaled Zighari.
The respondent: 1. The Director of the Government Press Office.
Request for an order nisi and interim injunction.
Appellant number 2 (forthwith – “the appellant”) is a journalist employed by appellant number 1. The appellant held a press card issued by the respondent – the Government Press Office – since 1994. The plaintiff’s card was renewed in 2002 for a period of two months. During this period, the respondent informed the appellant that his press card is revoked on security grounds. The appellants request that the respondent be ordered to re-issue the press card. In both the initial and later in a full response before the court, the respondent claimed that the appellant has connections with terrorist organizations, that are superfluous to his work as a journalist and which justifies the refusal to issue the appellant with a press card.
The judges noted that in the absence of the appellants in Court and on the strength of the evidence by the respondent alone, of intelligence information received which was the basis of the respondent’s refusal. The judges considered the appellant’s claim that he did not have connections with any terror organization outside of the framework of his work as a journalist.
After considering the plaintiff’s claims and in light of the security information examined, the judges came to the general conclusion that there is enough basis in the evidence to warrant the decision not to issue the appellant with a press card. This is due to concern for public safety and the security of the State of Israel in light of his connections.
The motion is rejected.