Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi speaks in an interview with Channel 7 about his upbringing as the eldest of 17 children in the periphery, his political path, and the fights that define him today. He says his family had “a lot of warmth and a lot of love,” and that growing up without luxury pushed him into public service, first in battles over banks, mortgages, and what he sees as exploitation of weaker communities.
Karhi says he chose Likud because, in his view, it is “the backbone of the national camp,” and not a narrow sectoral party. Before entering politics, he says he did not expect to become a politician at all. He holds a doctorate in industrial engineering and management, taught at a college and later at Bar-Ilan University, and says social and economic issues initially drew his attention more than what he now describes as an anti-democratic justice system.
He recounts that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu brought him into the communications portfolio after he wanted to focus on the economy. Karhi says Netanyahu told him he needed “someone I can trust in communications,” because “there is a lot to fix.” He describes the communications and justice systems as allied forces that control discourse and policy, and says his own media reform succeeded partly because he bypassed the attorney general. He accuses the Supreme Court, the attorney general, and “propaganda channels” of joining together to block competition.
On the draft law, Karhi welcomes the creation of the new Hashmonaim brigade and says the IDF has taken meaningful steps to integrate Haredi men who do not devote themselves full-time to Torah study. He says the former Nahal Haredi framework did not really allow a Haredi lifestyle, while the current draft framework would let “thousands and tens of thousands” enlist while preserving their way of life. Recalling October 7 from his home in Moshav Zimrat in the Gaza border area, Karhi says the family hid in the safe room, did not understand what was happening, and could not leave to help because the neighborhood’s weapons had been taken a year earlier under the Bennett and Gantz government. He blames the intelligence leadership for the failure, defends Netanyahu’s response, and says the next election should bring major changes in the justice system and the balance of power with the High Court.
