Shas Party Vetoes Final Communications Law Over Religious Concerns

The Shas party announced it will not support the final version of the communications law, citing the exclusion of amendments it demanded based on directives from its rabbis. The party stated that these amendments were necessary to prevent harm to religious values, and since they were not included in the final draft, Shas cannot back the legislation.

Despite opposing the current version, Shas called on Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi to split the bill and bring to a vote only the sections related to regulatory easing for new channels, including Channel 14. The party made clear that it would support such a move and urged the minister to advance this proposal promptly.

This development signals a coalition crisis as Shas exercises a veto on the communications law, demanding respect for religious considerations while showing willingness to support parts of the bill that promote media deregulation for new broadcasters.