The Government Press Office on Sunday restored the press credentials of Glenn Frankel. The Israel bureau chief of The Washington Post got back his press card, withdrawn last month for breach of censorship regulations.
Frankel lost his accreditation temporarily on April 26 for filing a story that Israel’s Inner Cabinet had approved the assassination of Khalil al-Wazir, also known as Abu Jihad, the Palestine Liberation Organization’s second in command. Wazir was gunned down at his home in Tunis on April 16.
Israel never denied the allegation, but penalized Frankel and NBC News correspondent Martin Fletcher for filing stories on the subject, without submitting them to the military censor.
Press office director Yoram Ettinger said he decided to return Frankel’s card after receiving a letter from the journalist stressing he is aware of the censorship laws.
Fletcher’s credentials remain suspended, however. Ettinger explained this was because of the “continuing examination being conducted by the defense establishment regarding the failure to obey Israel’s censorship regulations.”
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