Punishment

Although Israel has always had military censorship, violation has rarely meant more than a scolding. Last week, however, the Israeli government withdrew the credentials of two American reporters: Martin Fletcher of NBC News and Glenn Frankel of the Washington Post. Both men had filed stories asserting that Israeli agents were behind last month's commando-style assassination of P.L.O. Leader Khalil al-Wazir. Though Israeli officials have done little to hide their pride in the midnight raid, Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir insisted that the reporters "should be punished."

Pending an investigation, Fletcher and Frankel will be barred from official press conferences and denied government press releases, inconveniences that they say will only slightly hamper their work. More significant is the fear that the suspensions mean tougher rules for foreign journalists. Until now, unless specifically warned, reporters were generally able to decide for themselves whether their stories warranted the censor's perusal. It just may be that things do not work that way anymore.