Following the recent developments in the Qatar Gate affair and the summonses of journalists to testify, the Journalists' Organization held a Zoom meeting this morning to prepare members for additional effects of the investigation.

During the meeting, explanations, legal background, and conduct procedures were presented, alongside answers to questions raised by journalists in the field who fear damage to source confidentiality and freedom of the press.

The organization's director, ‎Michal Gera-Margaliot‎, referred to the legal and public complexity of summoning journalists: "We are in a developing event and are in contact with all the relevant parties. Summoning journalists for investigation is an unusual move, especially in the context of press freedom and protection of journalistic sources. The police must act with restraint and exhaust all possibilities before taking such steps. We expect the police to provide complete explanations as to why journalists were detained or summoned. Ultimately, protecting journalists is protecting the public," she emphasized.

Nir Gontarz, the coordinator for the struggle against violence against journalists and the organization's contact with law enforcement agencies, explained the legal procedure when summoning journalists to testify or investigate: "There is a clear procedure: any summoning of a journalist requires approval from the head of the investigations and intelligence division or the deputy attorney general. If this is not done according to the procedures – the journalist must be released immediately."

"In the current case, as far as we know, the police and the prosecution adhered strictly to the procedures. Therefore, we have no grounds to intervene, but we instruct journalists to assert their rights: not to hand over phones, not to provide passwords, and not to give confess. This is their professional and public responsibility," he said.

The organization noted that it will continue to monitor the developments in the affair and work for the preservation of press freedom principles, even in sensitive situations with criminal and security aspects.