During Monday’s discussion in a special Knesset committee, a coalition lawmaker admitted that the wording of an objection he submitted had been dictated by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi. Opposition MK Eitan Ginzburg noticed that MK Avi Maoz of Noam and MK Limor Son Har-Melech of Otzma Yehudit had submitted identical language, and asked whether someone had fed Maoz the text. Maoz acknowledged that the wording came from Karhi. “He spoke to me verbally, I told him to bring the wording,” Maoz said. MK Shelly Yaron of Yesh Atid responded, “Karhi is trying to launder this through Knesset members. This is nothing less than criminal.”
The disclosure came as the coalition continues to rush forward Karhi’s bill to weaken Israeli media regulation, only months before elections. According to the report, the amendment would further benefit billionaire Patrick Drahi, considered close to the government, whose holdings include HOT, i24NEWS, Srugim and Kikar HaShabbat. Nearly every section of the broader reform is said to provide him with additional economic or regulatory advantages.
Among the reported benefits are immediate permission for i24NEWS to air advertising once the law passes, a move that could bring in tens of millions of shekels a year, and retaining a prominent channel position even though other outlets paid millions for similar placements. The bill would also expand distribution on cable and satellite, potentially reaching hundreds of thousands of additional households, eliminate a minimum investment requirement in news, and remove limits on cross-ownership.
The law also includes provisions that would require commercial broadcasters, including Keshet, to make some of their content available to distribution platforms without compensation, a change that could mainly help HOT. The article says the timing and scope of the legislation raise serious concerns about its impact on Israel’s media market and on future coverage, especially because the bill also seeks to increase government control over broadcast content and impose fines on outlets that air material the government dislikes.
