Israeli officials have seized a camera and broadcasting equipment belonging to The Associated Press (AP) news agency in southern Israel, accusing the news organisation of violating a new media law by providing images to Al Jazeera.
The Qatari-owned media network and satellite channel is among thousands of clients that receive live video feeds from the AP and other news organisations.
The AP denounced the move and accused the government of abusing the recently passed foreign media law.
“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,” said Lauren Easton, vice president of corporate communications at the AP.
“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.”
Officials from the Communications Ministry arrived at the AP location in the southern town of Sderot on Tuesday afternoon and seized the equipment. They handed the AP a piece of paper, signed by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, alleging it was violating the country’s foreign broadcaster law.
Shortly before the equipment was seized, the AP was broadcasting a general view of famine-struck northern Gaza, where Israeli forces continue to press a ground and aerial assault.
The AP said it complies 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 besieged territory.
The seizure followed a verbal order Thursday to cease the live transmission – which the news organisation refused to do.
“In accordance with the government decision and the instruction of the communications minister, the communications ministry will continue to take whatever enforcement action is required to limit broadcasts that harm the security of the state,” the ministry said in a statement.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid decried the move as “an act of madness.”
“This government behaves as if it has decided to make sure at all costs that Israel will be swayed all over the world. They went crazy,” he said.
The White House said it was a “concerning” development.
“We stand firm in our belief that journalists have the ability, right to do their jobs,” the White House said.
On May 5, the Israeli cabinet voted unanimously to shut down Al Jazeera in the country, immediately ordering the closure of its offices and a ban on the company’s broadcasts and websites. Al Jazeera condemned the decision as a “criminal act”.
It came weeks after Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, passed a law on April 1 that allowed Israel to temporarily shut down foreign media outlets — including Al Jazeera — if it deems them a threat to security.
Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Jamjoom, reporting from the Jordanian capital, Amman, said that the AP has “thousands of clients around the world”.
“The Israeli government is utilising the law that they passed in order to shut down Al Jazeera, and now they’re going after the AP, which provides thousands of clients … a live feed of what’s going on in northern Gaza,” Jamjoom said.
“That [live feed] now has been shut down,” he said.
Israel has long had a rocky relationship with Al Jazeera, accusing it of bias against it and collaboration with Hamas. The Qatar-based network has repeatedly rejected the accusations.
Al Jazeera is one of the few international news outlets that has remained in Gaza throughout Israel’s continuing assault.
At least 35,647 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in Israel’s assault on Gaza since October, according to Palestinian health officials.
Israel launched the war on October 7 after Hamas led an attack on southern Israel, killing at least 1,139 people, according to an Al Jazeera tally based on Israeli statistics.
