Court Rejects Bid to Ban Election Candidates From Channel 14 Broadcasts

The chairman of the Central Elections Committee has dismissed a petition seeking to prohibit Channel 14 from broadcasting programs featuring candidates from the Likud, Religious Zionism, and Otzma Yehudit parties. The petitioners had also requested that the channel be barred from conducting election propaganda for these lists. The core argument was that Channel 14 functions as a propaganda channel, particularly for Likud, citing a section of the election law that forbids election propaganda on television and radio during the 60 days before an election, excluding legally permitted broadcasts.

The committee chairman did not rule on the merits of the claims. Instead, he determined that the petitioners have an alternative remedy through the Second Authority for Television and Radio, which specializes in such matters. Another reason for dismissal was a procedural issue: the petition included claims of violations during the 60-day pre-election period, but these specific claims were not included in the preliminary communication sent to the channel before the petition was filed. Consequently, the petition was dismissed without a hearing on the substance of the allegations.

Separately, another petition concerning Channel 14 is still before the committee chairman. This petition specifically alleges that the channel exclusively features candidates from a particular political bloc, which the petitioners claim violates the requirement for ideological diversity. The chairman has ordered Channel 14 to submit its response to this second petition by Friday, with a final decision pending.