Investigating or arresting a journalist is “extremely exceptional events in a democracy” that should only happen when there is “clear and solid criminal suspicion,” National Unity Party leader Benny Gantz responded on Wednesday to the house arrest of The Jerusalem Post’s editor-in-chief, Zvika Klein.
He called on the attorney-general and state prosecutor to “thoroughly examine the necessity of the house arrest of the Post’s editor.. The potential harm to freedom of the press, which is a fundamental value in democracy, must be taken into account in decision-making.”
Qatargate
Klein was named on Tuesday as the journalist who was questioned by police the day before as part of the investigation into actions by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s aides Yonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein.
חקירה ובוודאי מעצר של עיתונאי הינם אירועים חריגים ביותר בדמוקרטיה שיש לנקוט בהם אך ורק במקרים בהם ישנו חשד פלילי מובהק ומוצק. אני קורא ליועצת המשפטית לממשלה ולפרקליט המדינה לבחון לעומק את הצורך במעצר הבית של עורך הג'רוזלם פוסט ומקווה שכך יעשה. הפגיעה הפוטנציאלית בחופש העיתונות,…
— בני גנץ - Benny Gantz (@gantzbe) April 2, 2025
During Klein’s testimony as a witness, he was cautioned, but the nature of any allegations against him has not been specified.
Last year, Klein visited Qatar at the direct invitation of the Gulf state’s government and wrote a series of articles for the Post on his meetings with officials following his return.
“The arrest and investigation of a journalist could severely damage information confidentiality and journalistic source protection, and could create a chilling effect on other journalists,” Israel’s Journalists Organization stated.
“In the past two days, the organization has conducted and continues to conduct thorough examinations with the law enforcement agencies involved in the matter and maintains continuous contact with them. We were told that during his investigation, the journalist was not asked about his journalistic sources.”