Israeli authorities seized camera equipment from an Associated Press team, BTA reported. Their actions were widely condemned by various media organizations and were criticized even by Israel's biggest ally, the United States.
Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi said he had ordered the original decision to be overturned and the seized equipment to be returned. He added that the Defense Department has expressed a desire to investigate whether the agency's use of the seized camera to broadcast live from the Gaza border endangers Israeli forces, but that while the Defense Department's review is ongoing, AP journalists will be able to have the seized equipment again.
Earlier, Israel's Communications Ministry accused the agency of breaking the law by providing video coverage to Al Jazeera, whose broadcasts were temporarily banned earlier this month by Israeli authorities, who declared the Qatari satellite TV channel a threat to national security.
The AP reported that the agency was ordered to cut a live broadcast showing video footage from Gaza taken from the Israeli city of Sderot. The AP stated that in this case, the issue is not about specific news content, but about "arbitrariness on the part of the Israeli authorities in applying the country's new law on the broadcast of the program of foreign media".