Responding to the news that Israeli authorities seized equipment belonging to The Associated Press in southern Israel on Tuesday, NIF CEO Daniel Sokatch released the following statement: 

Today, Israel’s government took another step down the path towards authoritarianism. Seizing equipment from the AP is an assault on freedom of the press, a cornerstone of democracy. After shuttering the offices of Al Jazeera a few weeks ago, this move ratchets up this government’s attack on a sacred right shared by liberal democracies the world over. This should not be ignored. It’s another sign that something is terribly wrong in Israeli democracy.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is taking actions that are completely unbefitting a country that calls itself a democracy. This should be a loud alarm bell for anyone interested in the future of Israel as a democratic, free country.

We’ve been watching Israel’s democratic backsliding for years. Shutting down the free press brings us to a whole new level. We denounce in the strongest terms this dangerous act of democratic recession.