Israel’s government press office backtracked on an earlier decision to revoke the credentials of al-Jazeera journalist Elias Karam Israeli sources revealed.
Jerusalem Post daily quoted Amir Rosenblum the council’s secretary-general as stating that the office “was leaning toward stepping back from its plan” to revoke Karam’s press card after the reporter rejected the use of violence during a hearing held for him recently.
Karam had been threatened with having his credentials lifted due to an interview he gave to the Muslim Brotherhood television station Dar al-Iman in May.
“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” he said then.
“A journalist fulfills 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 40 is a Palestinian journalist who lives in Nazareth and has had a press card as an al-Jazeera reporter since 2011.
Karam’s remarks had been sent to the government press office in mid-August as part of the government’s threat to shut down the Qatari-owned news station which Israel accuses of inciting violence against Jews.
