Supreme Court Unanimously Nullifies Controversial Appointments to Media Council

Israel's Supreme Court has unanimously overturned the government's appointments of Dr. Yifat Ben-Haim Segal as chairwoman of the Second Authority for Television and Radio Council, and attorneys Kineret Brashi and Dr. Haim Shine as council members. The court ruled that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu violated conflict of interest rules in appointing Ben-Haim Segal, as she had previously testified as a witness in his criminal trial. The court stated that the fact her testimony concluded in 2022 did not negate the conflict of interest.

Regarding Brashi and Shine, the court found that relevant information concerning their candidacies was not presented to the committee vetting appointments. Petitions against their appointments also cited public statements made by them criticizing media outlets that the Second Authority is meant to oversee.

The government approved the appointments, including Ben-Haim Segal, Brashi, and Shine, as part of a 15-member council on March 24. A subsequent vote was held a week later without Netanyahu's participation due to the conflict of interest allegations surrounding Ben-Haim Segal's nomination.

Five petitions were filed with the Supreme Court following the government's decisions. The court has now ordered the cancellation of these government decisions and mandated that the appointments be re-examined by the vetting committee, should the Communications Minister wish to advance them again. Justice Alex Stein noted that there is no impediment to re-appointing Brashi and Shine, provided appropriate conflict of interest arrangements are made.