Israel allows Al-Jazeera reporter to keep working
Government Press Office reverses decision to revoke press credentials of Al-Jazeera Jerusalem correspondent Elias Karram following hearing; 'Resistance means only media exposure to reality of Palestinian people living under occupation,' Karram explains past remarks.
Elias Karram was called in for questioning after the 2016 interview surfaced, but after the hearing the GPO said Wednesday it had determined Karram does not consider himself part of the resistance and does not support violence. Nevertheless, it said it would monitor Karram's work for the next six months.
Earlier this month, Israeli Communications Minister Ayoub Kara said plans were afoot to revoke the media credentials of Al Jazeera's journalists, close its Jerusalem bureau and remove the station's broadcasts from local cable and satellite providers.
Such a closure does not appear imminent, however, and an Israeli official said a legal process was still required to implement most of the proposed steps.
Karram has been summoned to a hearing at the Government Press Office pursuant to comments he made in a television interview that "journalistic work is an integral part of the Palestinian resistance," statements that were inconsistent with the professional conduct of a news correspondent based on GPO rules.
Karram claimed, however, he had no intention of supporting or expressing sympathy for armed resistance. The "resistance" he spoke of was not violent, but rather through the pen, the word and the camera. According to him, "resistance means only media exposure to the reality of the Palestinian people living under occupation. I did not adopt, call for or incite to resistance of any kind."
Furthermore, Karram said that in his professional work as a news reporter, he has chosen to adopt a "golden rule," according to which "one should not mix opinion with reporting," and thus he conducts himself as a journalist. He also stressed that he does not see his role as a journalist in taking any position, either for or against one resistance or another, and advocates "completely objective reporting, presenting reality as it is without interfering in it or without being part of it or influencing it."
In light of his remarks, the Government Press Office has decided not to immediately revoke Karram's GPO card, and in the next six months to monitor his reports in Al-Jazeera in order to ensure that his clear statements are reflected in his actual journalistic work and were not mere words.
"Freedom of the press is one of the cornerstones of the Government Press Office," said GPO Director Nitzan Chen, "but we will not accept a situation in which an official certification issued by the State of Israel will serve as a tool for those who exploit it for public struggle against the country."
"Unfortunately," Chen continued, "there have been reports lately, on the Al-Jazeera television network that do not meet factual, public and professional standards. In the coming months, the GPO will monitor the network's reports in Israel, in Arabic and in English, and will not hesitate, after consultation with legal and security agencies, to draw necessary conclusions."
This decision not to revoke Karram's journalist card temporarily eases tensions between the Israeli government and the Arab satellite channel.
Al Jazeera has accused Israel of aligning itself with the four Arab states—Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain—that have severed diplomatic and commercial ties with Qatar over alleged support for Islamist militant groups. Qatar denies backing violent Islamists.
Al Jazeera has also faced government censure in Egypt. In 2014, Egypt jailed three of the network's staffers for seven years and closed its offices. Two staffers have been released but a third remains imprisoned.
