The Associated Press has reported that Israeli authorities in Gaza deactivated their camera and seized their equipment. They think the Israeli government is using a new law against foreign broadcasters in a bad way.
“The Associated Press strongly criticizes the actions of the Israeli government,” said the non-profit news organization in a statement. “We ask the Israeli authorities to give back our equipment and let us start showing live news again. This will help us share important news with many media outlets worldwide. ”
The Israeli military often says that people can’t go to certain areas near Gaza because they are for the military only. The AP’s live feed showed what was happening in Gaza, where it’s hard for journalists to work because Israel and Egypt don’t let them in.
The Associated Press didn’t answer when the media asked for a comment. But the Foreign Press Association said they were worried about the shutdown and taking away of things.
Israel’s action today is a dangerous path to go down. Israel may stop other news organizations from showing live videos of Gaza. The FPA said that it could also let Israel stop the media from covering almost any news event for reasons of security that are not very clear.
Israel recently stopped Al Jazeera from operating in the country. They went to the news outlet’s offices, took their equipment, and closed them down. The United Nations and human rights groups criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for limiting press freedoms.
Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi said that the AP broke a new law by giving news to many clients, including Al Jazeera.
Karhi said in a statement that a camera that was taken away illegally is showing live footage of the northern Gaza Strip on the Aljazeera channel. This includes the actions of the IDF forces and puts our fighters at risk. Last week, the AP agency was warned that they are not allowed to broadcast on Al Jazeera according to the law and government’s decision. But they decided to continue anyway, which is causing harm to the state’s security.
The taken equipment consisted of a camera, stand, two microphones, and transmission gear, according to the statement.
Reporters Without Borders criticized Israel for taking the equipment.
Israel has banned Al Jazeera and is now angry at the AP. “RSF is upset that the news outlet’s camera was taken and the live video of Gaza was stopped because they think the images are being used by Al Jazeera. ”
Israel opposition leader Yair Lapid called the seizure “crazy. ”
He said that this is not Al Jazeera, it’s an American news organization that has won 53 Pulitzer Prizes. This government is acting like it wants to make sure that Israel is rejected by everyone in the world, no matter what. “They became crazy. “
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Israeli government stops Associated Press’s live broadcast from Gaza
