Israel appears to have backed down from its threat to close the offices of the Al-Jazeera television station, saying it would not revoke the press accreditation of its Jerusalem correspondent for now, The Times of Israel reported on Wednesday.

The Government Press Office said the reporter, Elias Karram, could keep his press card after an investigation and hearing in which he said he condemned any use of violence.

"It was decided to defer the suspension of his GPO card for six months, during which his press reports will be monitored," the GPO said.

Karram is an Arab Israeli citizen who lives in Nazareth and has had a GPO card as an Al-Jazeera reporter since 2011, according to The Jerusalem Post.

He was threatened with having his credentials lifted following an interview he gave to the Muslim Brotherhood television station, Dar al-Iman, in May in which he said:
"As a Palestinian journalist, who is in an occupied area or a conflict area, journalistic work is an integral part of the resistance and of political and educational action."

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last month that he wanted to expel Qatari-based Al-Jazeera from the country, because it incites violence, which was followed by Communications Minister Ayoub Kara vowing he would take steps to close the station's offices in Israel.

Several Arab countries have recently closed their local Al-Jazeera offices amid an ongoing dispute with Qatar, but Israel, which often touts its freedom of the press, has allowed the station to continue operating.

The GPO's decision to revoke Karram's credentials had been slammed by many groups, including the Union of Journalists in Israel, which called it "intolerable," and Amnesty International, which said Israel's move was a "brazen attack on media freedom."

• Joining Arab States, Israel Says it Plans to Ban Al-Jazeera
• Al-Jazeera Denounces Israel's Decision to Close Its Bureau