Entry resumes at President's Residence; foreign journalist still held

Update, 4 November, 18:07 Israel time

Entry to the President's Residence has reopened and police say the security suspicion has been lifted, but the foreign journalist remains in police custody. N12 correspondent Inbar Tuizer reported that police announced the security suspicion at the residence had been removed. News.co.il reported that entry resumed normally once the police check was finished and that activity in the compound was proceeding as usual.

Ynet reported that although entry had been restored, the foreign journalist was still being held by police. N12 correspondent Dafna Liel reported that traces of explosive material had apparently been found on her. That account was attributed to a single correspondent and was qualified as probable; police have not confirmed it, and no other outlet reported it.

The Times of Israel published the statement from Herzog's office, which said the X-ray machine had flagged a visitor during screening, that entry was suspended until the matter was clarified, and that police sappers were coming to inspect the equipment. The paper said a foreign journalist was reported to have set off the machine.

The reports still do not name the journalist or her outlet, and do not say whether the consultations have begun.

The story as first reported

A security alert at the entrance to the President's Residence in Jerusalem on Wednesday led to the detention of a foreign journalist and held up the start of President Isaac Herzog's consultations with parliamentary parties on forming Israel's next government. According to commentator Amit Segal, the X-ray scanner used to check visitors raised an alert during screening, after which all entry to the compound was stopped while the matter was looked into and police bomb disposal technicians were sent to examine the equipment.

Ynet reported that a female foreign journalist was held at the entrance because of a suspicious object found during the security check, and that others at the residence were told to stay sheltered indoors. N12 correspondent Inbar Tuizer reported that all staff and journalists inside the building were required to shut themselves in rooms. The Jerusalem Post reported that Herzog's meetings with party leaders were delayed as a result of the alert.

What the residence said

The President's Residence gave only a brief response. News.co.il reported that the office said the incident was being examined together with all the relevant authorities and that it had no further details to give at that stage. The same outlet described the scanner alert as occurring during a routine check, and said both visitors and employees were temporarily barred from entering until the event was fully clarified.

None of the reports said what the scanner had detected, and none described the object as dangerous. The term used in the Hebrew reports, hefetz hashud, means "suspicious object" and is the standard Israeli phrase for an unattended or unidentified item that triggers a security response. Such alerts are common in Israel and usually involve police sappers, the bomb disposal specialists of the Israel Police, examining the item before the area is reopened.

Why the timing mattered

The alert came moments before Herzog was due to begin his formal round of consultations with the factions of the Knesset, Israel's parliament. Ynet reported that the round is set to run over two days, after which the president will decide which lawmaker to entrust with the mandate to assemble a government.

In Israel's system, the president's role is largely ceremonial, but this is one of the few points where it carries real weight. After an election, each party that has won seats sends a delegation to the President's Residence to say which candidate it backs for prime minister. The president then chooses the member of the Knesset judged most likely to be able to build a governing coalition, and gives that person a fixed period to try to do so.

Israel Hayom reported that the first party scheduled to meet Herzog on Wednesday was Religious Zionism, at 5 p.m., and that it was expected to recommend Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The paper added that Zehut would come to the residence on its own at 8:45 p.m. Religious Zionism is a right-wing party that has sat in Netanyahu's governing coalition; Zehut is a smaller party.

How the reports differ

The accounts agree on the core sequence: a screening alert, a halt to entry, a foreign journalist held and bomb technicians called. They differ in emphasis and detail. The early Ynet and N12 alerts described the journalist being held during the security check, and a later Ynet alert linked her detention directly to the suspicious object. The reports from Amit Segal and News.co.il do not mention a journalist at all, describing only a scanner alert and a stop to entry. N12 and Ynet referred to people inside being told to shelter in rooms; the other outlets did not report this.

The Jerusalem Post described the consultations as delayed. Israel Hayom's report gave the scheduled start time for the first meeting but did not say whether it went ahead on schedule.

What the reports do not say

• What the scanner detected, and whether the item turned out to pose any danger once the bomb technicians examined it.
• The identity or nationality of the foreign journalist, which outlet she works for, and whether she was questioned or released.
• How long the consultations were held up, and whether the Religious Zionism meeting and the rest of the day's schedule went ahead as planned.
• Whether the President's Residence or the Israel Police issued any further statement after the initial response.