Public Broadcasting Corporation Seeks New Leadership Amidst Council Stalemate
Translated & summarized from Globes by baba
The Public Broadcasting Corporation's selection committee is interviewing candidates for chairman and council members, including former executives and academics. The process has been hampered by a quorum deficit in the council since November 2024, preventing key appointments. The High Court of Justice intervened, reinstating the committee chair and ordering the appointment of four council members, though the council remains below its required strength.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Four candidates, including former PBC CEO Eldad Koblenz, are being interviewed for leadership roles.
- The PBC council has lacked a quorum since November 2024, paralyzing decision-making.
- Communications Minister Shlomo Karai's attempt to remove the selection committee chair was overturned by the High Court.
- The High Court ordered the appointment of four council members, but the council still lacks a quorum.
- The current CEO's term has been judicially extended due to the ongoing quorum issue.
The selection committee for the Public Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) has been actively seeking candidates for the positions of Chairman and Council members. Four individuals have reached the interview stage: Professor Menachem Ben-Sasson, a current council member and former academic leader; Eldad Koblenz, the PBC's first former CEO; Moti Shklar, who previously headed the Israel Broadcasting Authority and the Second Authority for Television and Radio; and Yona Wiesenthal, a current council member and former CEO of the Israel Broadcasting Authority.
Additional candidates, including Yulia Shamalov-Berkovich, chairwoman of the Cable and Satellite Council, and Eva Medziboz-Levi, former director of the Israel Museum, are also being considered, though it is unclear if they have been interviewed. The process has been complicated by political interference, including an unsuccessful attempt by Communications Minister Shlomo Karai to remove the selection committee's chair, retired Judge Nehama Monitz. The High Court of Justice (Bagatz) intervened, overturning Karai's decision and mandating the appointment of four council members.
The PBC's governing bodies have been in a state of paralysis since November 2024, when the number of council members fell below the legal quorum of seven required for decision-making. This has prevented the council from appointing a permanent CEO and a permanent chairman. The current CEO, Golan Yochpaz, has had his term extended by judicial order until the quorum is restored.
Bagatz's recent ruling, prompted by petitions from the 'Tzahal' organization, not only reinstated Monitz but also compelled Karai to approve the appointments of four council members: Michal Rafaeli Keduri, Professor Menachem Ben-Sasson, CPA Amir Sebhat, and Aliza Dayan Hamama. The court emphasized that the minister's discretion is limited to professional considerations, rejecting political justifications for disqualifying candidates.
Despite these appointments, the council now has only six members, still short of the required seven for full operational capacity. The selection committee's chair was previously held by retired Judge Moshe Drori, who resigned in November 2024 following petitions against his appointment, leading to Monitz's subsequent appointment.
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