Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi Condemns Government Legal Advisers as 'Deep State' in Broadcast Law Dispute

In a forceful speech in the Knesset plenum, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi declared a victory over the government’s legal advisers and accused the Attorney General and her office of obstructing legislation related to the broadcasting law. Karhi opened by stating, "The citizens of Israel have defeated the deep state," claiming that the Attorney General’s office has been reduced from a "fortress blocking right-wing government policies" to a "footnote, a small asterisk at the bottom of the page, exactly where they belong."

Karhi sharply criticized the Communications Regulatory Authority, accusing it of capitulating under pressure from the Attorney General’s office. He described the authority as "completely unnecessary," established during the Bennett government, and now a burden and part of the deep state network led by the Attorney General and an unseen hand controlling it.

Regarding interactions with the Attorney General, Karhi alleged she issued an illegal directive forbidding the legal team in the Communications Ministry from performing their duties related to the law and barred them from participating in legislative discussions. As a result, Karhi said, the political leadership had to draft the legislation themselves, turning the minister and the ministry director-general into experts in legislative drafting.

Addressing criticism for presenting the law to the committee without legal counsel, Karhi responded that the Attorney General’s office was prohibited from cooperating. He added that ministry lawyers, paid by the state, stayed up late working on the law.

In conclusion, Karhi attacked what he called an alliance between the judiciary and the media, accusing legal professionals and media figures of colluding to maintain a left-wing media monopoly, which he claimed ultimately failed.