New York — Israel’s closure and confiscation of Associated Press video cameras providing vivid glimpses of the Gaza Strip surprised many journalists, who worried Tuesday about the broader implications of reporting a war that took place outside the world’s view in the first place.
Authorities returned the AP’s equipment late Tuesday after widespread criticism, including calls from the Biden administration for Israel to step down. Israel justified the move by saying the Qatari satellite channel violated a new media law banning Al Jazeera because it is one of thousands of customers who receive AP live video.
Earlier Wednesday, AP’s live footage from Gaza was republished in Israel.
The cameras seized earlier, located in the southern Israeli city of Sderot, were not the only cameras AP operates in Israel or Gaza. The company hasn’t said how many cameras it uses on a regular basis, and the AP isn’t the only news organization that does so. Agence France-Presse confirmed that Israel frequently used these cameras and even sold the images to Al Jazeera.
“Israel’s move today to restrict AP’s work is deeply concerning and a clear attack on press freedom,” said Phil Chetwynd, AFP’s director of global news.
Media organizations have expressed concerns about potential ambiguity about how Israeli law can be enforced. What, they ask, prevents Israel from completely shutting down the activities of news cooperatives in the country?
“This allows Israel to block media coverage of virtually any news event for vague security reasons,” the Foreign Correspondents’ Association of Israel said in a statement.
Israel has also been accused of refusing to allow foreign journalists into Gaza to cover the war that began after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack inside the Jewish state and of not doing enough to protect Palestinian journalists and civilians.
“The state seems to be holding on to anything that harms Al Jazeera,” said Thomas Kent, former president and CEO of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and an international consultant on media ethics. The move hurts a reputable news outlet at a time when the country appears to want independent news reporting, Kent said.
Democracies that behave this way send a disturbing signal to authoritarian countries, too, he said. “You have to look at the bigger picture,” said Kent, who is also a former standards editor and international correspondent for the Associated Press. “They are fueling other countries who want to confiscate the equipment and stop the transmission.”
The movement against AP has sparked debate within Israel. Yair Lapid, an opposition leader in Netanyahu’s government, called it “an act of madness.” Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, who accused AP of violating national law, made it clear that any devices used to deliver content to Al Jazeera could be confiscated.
Karhi responded to Lapid about
AP’s cameras in Sderot operated 24 hours a day and staff were also present. The crew can be used to cover news that may be happening and to move or focus the camera to avoid capturing military movements. The AP said it complies with military censorship rules that prohibit broadcasting of troop movements that could put soldiers at risk.
News organizations often deploy cameras that can be operated remotely in various locations around the world, either in the area where the news is being reported or simply to provide views of city skylines.
These scenes have a variety of uses, including providing a backdrop for a television station reporting developments or as a live streaming feature on a website. In the early days of the Gaza war, footage from these cameras helped media organizations conduct forensic investigations into who was responsible for military attacks on Palestinian hospitals.
Paul Haven, AP vice president and head of newsgathering for the Associated Press, said the AP is the largest provider of real-time video news reporting to newsrooms around the world.
“Our live video provides a window into what’s happening around the world on any given day, allowing our audience to see the events themselves,” Haven said.
The Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday it was “deeply shocked” by Israel’s actions. CPJ Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna said the country should allow all international media outlets, including Al Jazeera, to operate freely in the country.
Israel’s return of equipment is a positive step forward, but the underlying problems have not gone away.
“We remain concerned about the Israeli government’s use of foreign broadcast laws and the ability of independent journalists to operate freely in Israel,” AP spokeswoman Lauren Easton said.
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David Bauder writes about media for the Associated Press. Follow him at http://twitter.com/dbauder.
