Israel's Second Authority Cautions Radio Host Yinon Magal Over 'Abusive Rant'

Israel's Second Authority for Television and Radio has initiated proceedings against radio station 103fm following a broadcast by host Yinon Magal on October 6, the eve of the national memorial day for the October 7th events. Magal read a list of individuals he claimed participated in writing a book critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "Mr. Abandonment," and launched into a vitriolic attack against them.

Magal described the individuals as "abominable" and suggested the only way they could find forgiveness was by voting for Netanyahu. Among those named were Ofri Bibas Levy, sister of a freed hostage and aunt of two murdered hostages; Einav Tsengauker, mother of a kidnapped hostage; Dr. Maayan Sherman, mother of a soldier killed in captivity; Tami Arad, wife of navigator Ron Arad, missing since 1986; and Nili Margalit, a hostage survivor whose father was murdered and body abducted on October 7.

The Second Authority determined that Magal's statements crossed the line from legitimate criticism to "abusive ranting," particularly given the timing and the inclusion of bereaved families and relatives of hostages. The authority stated that the comments "exceeded legitimate criticism and amounted to abusive ranting against those individuals."

In addition to the abusive language, the Second Authority also found Magal's explicit call to vote for the Likud party to be in violation of election laws and directives issued to radio stations. Magal later clarified that he did not intend to include the families of hostages in his remarks and admitted he should have made that distinction clearer beforehand.