“Press under terror” was how deputy director general for PR in the Foreign Ministry Gidon Meir described the behavior of news agencies who refused to broadcast the Palestinian celebrations in the streets over the wave of terror attacks in the United States.

Government sources said that this referred to Reuters and AP, whose representatives were threatened by Palestinians that they would be hurt if these pictures were broadcast.

The Foreign Ministry heard by chance about the celebrations the Palestinians held in the streets. A police officer, the son of Gidon Meir, told his father of the Palestinian jubilation in East Jerusalem. Meir reported on this immediately to the foreign networks. The Foreign Ministry and the IDF Spokesman’s Office also filmed the events.

The Foreign Ministry has a great deal of material from these festivities, but has decided not to circulate it aggressively, but to give it to those who ask. Many media companies from all over the world did ask, and received, the Foreign Ministry material.

This artcile ran in Yediot Aharonot on September 14, 2001

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