The New York Times · New York, New York · 27 April 1988

CP-1988-093

Israel Withdraws Credentials of 2 Journalists

By JOEL BRINKLEY

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Transcribed from the clipping

JERUSALEM, April 26 — The Israeli Government today withdrew the press credentials of two foreign correspondents, from The Washington Post and NBC News, as punishment for reports that had not been submitted to a military censor.

The correspondents, Glenn Frankel of The Post and Martin Fletcher of NBC News, both reported last week that the Israeli Government had carried out the assassination of Abu Jihad, the Palestine Liberation Organization’s military commander, but neither account was submitted to the censor before being sent to the United States.

The Israeli Government has never said whether it was responsible for the assassination, and officials stressed that their action today was not a statement on the accuracy of the reports. Yoram Ettinger, director of the Government Press Office, said: “Their press cards are suspended until the end of the investigation.

The meaning is not of revoking or cancellation and not expulsion, at this time.” Both men have been advised that it is possible that their press cards will not be returned. Withdrawal of press credentials does not positively prevent the two from working, and both journalists say they intend to stay at work.

But working without a press card can be quite difficult because they will not get cooperation from officials in the Government, the military or the police. “What will suffer,” Mr. Frankel said, “is my ability to report and understand Government decisions and the reasoning behind them.” Mr.

Fletcher said he was surprised by the action because he got all the information for his account from Government officials. But Mr. Ettinger said he had received phone calls “not from Israeli journalists but from foreign ones, saying, ‘You can’t punish correspondents who don’t break the law and give two who ignore the law a prize.’”

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