Israeli authorities disconnected the Associated Press camera, which broadcast from the gas sector, and took equipment from journalists

Updated. The Ministry of Communications returned the Associated Press Confiscated equipment before receiving a security conclusion and re -consideration of the issue, said the head of the department Shlomo Karkha. According to him, the Ministry of Defense demanded to review the issue.

Israeli authorities disabled a direct broadcast from the camera of the American Agency Associated Press, which was installed in the south of the country and was shooting a gas sector.

Representatives of the Israeli Ministry of Communications, who arrived in the city of Deote in the south of the country, also confiscated equipment owned by AP. The basis for this was a document signed by the head of the department of Shlomo Karkha. It said that the broadcast violates the media law, providing the image of the Catar television channel Al-Jazis.

In AP, the actions of the Israeli government were condemned in the “most decisive way” and stated that the Israeli authorities were abused by law. “We urge the Israeli authorities to return our equipment and allow us to immediately resume a live broadcast so that we can continue to provide this important visual information to thousands of media around the world,” the agency said in a statement.

The leader of the Israeli opposition Yair Lapid called the government’s decision “an act of madness”. “This is not al-Jazira, this is the American media that received 53 Pulitzer prizes,” he wrote . The Minister of Communications Shlomo Karkhi answered him that, according to the law of the device used to supply al-jazire content, can be confiscated in any person or corporation. In addition, according to him, AP employees were warned in advance about violation of the law last week.

AP argues that the day before the authorities received an oral order to stop broadcasting, but refused to do it, and noted that the agency complies with the rules of the Israeli military censorship, which prohibit the broadcast of the troops.

The US authorities expressed concern about what happened and called on to provide reporters with the opportunity to do their work. “Obviously, this is concerned, and we want to figure it out,” said the press secretary of the White House Karin Jean-Pierre. The journalist of the Axios publication Barak Ravid said with reference to two sources that American officials contacted the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Israel and asked to cancel this decision.

The disconnection of the AP broadcast by the Israeli authorities was also convicted by representatives of the international organization “Reporters without borders”.

• In early April 2024, the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) adopted a law that allows the media to suspend the work of the Israeli authorities, and damage national security. Immediately after this, the Minister of Communications Shlomo Karkhi signed the order prescribing the broadcasting of the al-Juzira channel-to close two offices in Jerusalem, block access to the site and confiscate equipment.