Jerusalem Post Editor-in-Chief Zvika Klein was released from house arrest after being questioned several times over the course of four days under suspicion of receiving personal benefits from Qatar in exchange for advancing its interests.
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara released a statement clarifying that 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: “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.”
Representatives of Klein responded to a statement by the attorney-general:
“The editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post, Zvika Klein, has never received any benefit or anything else from Qatar or from anyone acting on its behalf.”
“His visit to the country was part of his journalistic work alone, and it is for this alone that he was questioned – in contrast to the illegal leaks from the interrogation rooms.”
“Klein upheld journalistic ethics throughout his coverage of Qatar in the newspaper, including the article he published and in the opinion pieces that followed – some of which took a critical stance on his article, as is customary at a newspaper that values a diversity of opinions.”
“Contrary to what the Attorney-General’s statement suggests, he was not part of any ‘apparatus.’ Klein is a professional and respected journalist who has received numerous awards for his work, particularly in the field of Diaspora reporting. All of his actions were carried out solely within the framework of the law and in accordance with the protections of journalistic privilege, as upheld in clear rulings by the Supreme Court over the years.”
“For this reason, he was also released this morning from house arrest and returned to his routine, without any restrictive conditions.”
His associates added that his mobile phone was confiscated and is still being held by police without a warrant. They emphasized that it remains unclear what he is suspected of – “if he is even officially considered a suspect.”
Earlier on Thursday, it was reported that three journalists, Shirit Avitan Cohen from Israel Hayom, Nir Dvori from N12, and Suleiman Maswadeh from Kan, were expected to give open testimony to Israel Police regarding the “Qatargate” case.
Union of Journalists in Israel responds
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.
This came a day after two suspects in the case – Eli Feldstein and Yonatan Urich – provided contradictory testimonies, with Feldstein claiming that he received money from businessman Gil Birger for his work in the Prime Minister’s Office and Urich stating that he does not know Birger and has never spoken with him.
Birger claimed that he transferred the funds on behalf of Jay Footlik, a lobbyist for Qatar, citing tax considerations as the motive.
Read More: Israel Police releases Jerusalem Post editor Zvika Klein from arrest – Israel