Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara released a statement on Thursday clarifying that Jerusalem Post Editor-in-Chief Zvika Klein was called in for questioning and said things that potentially incriminated him.
The statement came following backlash by the Union of Journalists in Israel, politicians, and media outlets after Klein was put on house arrest for five days without clear specified charges regarding the "Qatargate" affair.
The statement said that he was suspected of being part of “the system of receiving benefits from Qatar in exchange for advancing its interests.”
Baharav-Miara also addressed the interrogation of additional journalists in their statement: "The law enforcement system considers ensuring freedom of the press to be of paramount importance. Therefore, the enforcement policy, which has not changed, is to minimize as many situations as possible in which testimony is collected from journalists. In any case, the collection of testimony is done with great caution in order to preserve freedom of the press.”
Union of Journalists in Israel respond
Also on Thursday, the Union of Journalists in Israel held a Zoom meeting to describe the legality of the situation and answer questions to the press. The association said that when the police and State Attorney's office do not act in accordance with procedure, the organization calls to release the journalist.
However, in this case, the police and the prosecution adhered to the procedure and all the necessary authorizations were obtained, the union said, adding that all it can do is "indicate to the police and prosecution that we are monitoring the situation and making sure the journalist receives the special treatment he is entitled to under the law."
The organization added that it was legally permissible to interrogate a journalist but asked that it be with full respect for the journalist’s rights.
The union noted this was a mega event that could impact press freedom. Summoning a journalist is extremely unusual and dangerous and must be the last resort, they said.
