Communications Minister Shlomo Karai Seeks to Remove Two Members from Second Authority Council Amid Legal Disputes

Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karai is actively working to remove two current members of the Second Authority for Television and Radio Council, sparking legal and political controversy. One of the targeted members, Einat Dayan, who has served since January 2022, claims the attempt to oust her violates the law and a Supreme Court injunction issued on June 17.

The council is currently facing two major decisions: approving the sale of Channel 13 to a tech group led by Assaf Rappaport, representing a liberal-democratic stance, and reclassifying the pro-government Channel 14 from a minor licensee to a status that would impose significant financial and operational restrictions. The government has sought to alter the council's composition or disrupt its functioning, approving controversial appointments in March, including Dr. Yifat Ben-Hay Segav as chairwoman. Ben-Hay Segav has a mixed record, including testimony in the high-profile Case 4000, where she initially admitted to pressure from the Communications Ministry to expedite a merger but later retracted her statement.

Following these appointments, petitions were filed with the Supreme Court to block the new council's decisions, citing concerns over potential obstruction of Channel 13's sale. The court temporarily barred the new council from convening and empowered the previous council under Mordechai Mordechai to act. However, a wave of resignations from the old council, allegedly orchestrated by Karai, led to a loss of quorum and effectively paralyzed it. In mid-June, council member Dr. Marlin Wenig revealed in a court affidavit that Elad Zamir, Karai's chief of staff, pressured her to resign as part of a broader effort to seize control of the council.

On June 17, the Supreme Court issued an interim order freezing the new council's formation and allowing the old council to continue until the petitions are resolved. The government rejected this ruling and declared it would not recognize any council decisions or appointments until further notice. Channel 13's legal representatives condemned the government's stance as lacking legal authority and undermining the court's intent to prevent administrative paralysis.

In parallel, Karai has pursued the removal of council members on questionable grounds. On June 23, he notified Einat Dayan that he was considering ending her term, citing her daughter Ofir Dayan's frequent appearances on News 12, a channel under the council's supervision, as a potential conflict of interest. Similar claims led to the earlier termination of council member Asfahan Behalul, related to her father's role as a radio host. Dayan's legal team argues these moves contradict the Supreme Court injunction and lack substantive grounds, emphasizing that Ofir Dayan's media work is independent and unrelated to her mother's council role.

The council convened as scheduled despite the government's refusal to recognize its legitimacy, underscoring ongoing tensions between the Communications Ministry, the council, and the judiciary over regulatory authority and media oversight in Israel.