Israel's Attorney General Asks High Court to Block Communications Law
Translated & summarized from Ynet by baba
Israel's Attorney General has asked the Supreme Court to permanently block a new communications law passed by the Knesset, citing severe damage to free media and procedural flaws in its passage. The law, initiated by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, reduces media regulation and allows new channels without oversight.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Attorney General seeks permanent court order against Communications Minister's law.
- Law significantly reduces media regulation and oversight.
- Attorney General cites severe damage to free media market.
- Law's passage through Knesset deemed flawed and rushed.
- Supreme Court previously issued a temporary freeze on the law.
Israel's Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, has formally requested the Supreme Court to issue a permanent interim order against a communications law initiated by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi. The law, passed by the Knesset in July, significantly reduces media regulation and permits the establishment of new news channels without government oversight, while also removing the separation between TV channel owners and their news companies.
Baharav-Miara argued that the law would cause severe damage to the free media market and that its passage through the Knesset was flawed, containing "an extreme set of substantive defects." She specifically criticized a last-minute amendment that redefined "small licensee" to include entities with incomes up to two billion shekels. This change, she stated, would exempt existing licensees under the Second Authority Law from broadcasting news altogether, or if they choose to broadcast news, they would not be required to do so through a dedicated news company.
The Attorney General asserted that this would effectively dismantle the regulatory framework designed to ensure the journalistic independence and reliability of news broadcasts in Israel. This includes the immediate removal of regulations for the news programs of the two largest commercial channels, without establishing alternative measures to guarantee journalistic standards. The Supreme Court had previously issued a temporary order freezing the law's implementation two days after its passage, and now the Attorney General seeks a permanent injunction.
Minister Karhi's law aims to streamline media operations by easing regulatory burdens. The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the Attorney General's request.
