Israeli authorities have cancelled the press credentials of an Al Jazeera reporter, after he said his journalism was part of the Palestinian “resistance”.
Communications Minister Ayoub Kara approved the move on Wednesday night as part of his efforts to shut down the Qatari-owned cable news channel in Israel, reports The Jerusalem Post.
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Elias Karam, a senior reporter at Al Jazeera’s Jerusalem bureau, said in an interview to the Muslim Brotherhood TV channel Dar Al-Iman in May 2016: “As a Palestinian journalist who is in an occupied area or a conflict area, journalistic work is an integral part of the resistance and of political and educational action.
“A journalist fulfils his role in the resistance through his pen, voice or camera, because he is part of this nation and is resisting in his unique way,” he added.
Karam has been asked to attend a hearing, at which Israel’s Government Press Organisation will make a final decision about his credentials.
The GPO said Karam’s comments call into question his ability to be a professional journalist, representing a foreign network, if he is taking an active part in the conflict.
Karam, 40, is an Israeli citizen who resides in Nazareth, and has had a GPO card as an Al Jazeera reporter since 2011, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Earlier this month, Kara announced plans to close Al Jazeera’s Jerusalem office and stop the channel from being broadcast in Israel, on grounds of incitement.
Foreign journalists need to hold GPO cards to enter official events and to get in and out of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
