December 26, 2012
Hamas forbids local journalists from working with Israeli media
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The Hamas government in Gaza has forbidden local journalists from working with Israeli media outlets.
The weekly Cabinet meeting in Gaza decided to ban Palestinian journalists from working "with all Zionist media and journalists,” which it declared "hostile," it announced in a statement, the French news agency AFP reported.
The Cabinet has forbidden the local journalists from working for Israeli media and television stations.
It is the first time the Hamas government has required such action, according to AFP.
There is no similar requirement in the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority.
Hamas has ruled Gaza since 2006.
In a Facebook post, The New York Times' Jerusalem bureau chief, Jodi Rudoren, reported that Gaza journalist Abeer Ayyoub confirmed the ban and said that Hamas also announced that permits for foreign journalists would now go through the internal security office.
Rudoren wrote that Israeli media outlets rely on local Palestinians for news from the coastal strip, since Israelis are forbidden from entering Gaza.
