In order to ensure the smooth and rapid transmission of news and feature material by all means of communication, the following procedure laid down by the Military Press and Communications Censorship in Israel should be strictly adhered to. The Military Censor is interested exclusively in information relating to the security of the State, and the undermentioned rules are designed to safeguard this security.

1. All written material, photographs and recordings dealing with security and defense matters intended for transmission abroad, must be presented to the Censor's Office. Written material must be submitted in two copies and may be submitted by fax.

2. Correspondents who are about to go abroad must present to the Censor all photographs. recordings, articles and reports they intend to take with them which in any way relate to the security of the State of Israel, including territories administered by the Israel Defense Forces.

This material should be submitted to the Censor's office in an envelope or package. It will be stamped by the Censor in the presence of the correspondent. This procedure is designed to avert the need for any further censorship or for any delay at the time of departure from the country.

3. In order to facilitate procedure for correspondents using the telephone, fax and Internet for the international transmission of urgent news, the Military Press & Communications Censorship will require the prior presentation only of messages to be sent abroad which contain reference to the defense establishment of the State, the security of the State or the territories administered by the Israel Defense Forces.

On those subjects the correspondent must present the substance of the message which he/she wishes to transmit, in writing in two copies, before the transmission abroad is made. This is stressed in order to avoid unpleasantness for correspondents who act in contravention of these directives and attempt to transmit items that should have been presented to the Censor in advance, in accordance with Clause 3 above, and which were not cleared by the Censor. Should this occur, the Censor is permitted to take measures to prevent the transmission of prohibited news items.

4. The offices of the Press & Communications Censorship are located in Jerusalem & Tel Aviv:

Tel Aviv (telephone - 03-6966207/8; fax - 03-5693494) 24 hours a day, including Saturdays and holidays.

Jerusalem (telephone - 02-6253974 & 02-6242988; fax - 02-6245199) Sunday through Thursday 08:00 - 00:00 (midnight) Friday and eve of holidays 08:00 to l8:00, Saturday evenings and at the close of holidays 19:00 to 00:00.

I hereby certify that I have read and understood the above, and undertake to act accordingly.

NAME____________________________ NEWSPAPER/AGENCY_____________________

SIGNATURE______________________ DATE_________________

Rules added on January 15, 2007

State        of       Israel

The Censorship Of Press and Media

Head Censorship Office

Tel: 03-6962538, Fax: 03-5693472

	15   January     2007

 

Censorship Guidelines – Reporting of the Location of Rocket Hits

Background:

1. Recently, it has become apparent that terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip are equipping themselves with stronger, more destructive and more precise long-range rockets.

Purpose:

2. This document emphasizes the censorship guidelines to the media and press on the reporting of rocket hits.  

The Censorship Guidelines:

3. Following are the main Censorship Guidelines:
1.  The Military Censor will not authorize reports of rocket hits at IDF bases and/or strategic facilities.
2. The Military Censor will not authorize reports of rockets that fell into the Mediterranean Sea , since with those reports it is relatively easy to adjust their aim.  
3. Real-time reports on the exact locations of rocket hits must be strictly avoided. Reports, on delayed time, of exact locations must always be approved by the Military Censor.
4. The Military Censor will not authorize photographs of rockets with identifying marks since this could provide terrorists with precise intelligence on where the rocket landed.
5. The Military Censor will not authorize reports regarding visits of senior Israeli Government and IDF officials in the south, due to the clear connection between official visits and rocket attacks on the area in question.
6. The Military Censor will not authorize information regarding terrorist war materiel that did not explode or any other malfunction in war materiel.
4. Please make sure that all relevant staff members are aware of the aforementioned.
5. The following guidelines do not obviate the obligation to submit to the Military Censor, before publishing, any news item regarding rocket hits or any other subject that must be approved by the Military Censor.  

Sincerely,

  Col.   Sima Vaknin-Gil

Chief Military Censor