Chairwoman of Israel's Second Authority Resigns After Supreme Court Blocks Council Appointment

Dr. Yifat Ben-Hai Segev, the newly appointed chairwoman of Israel's Second Authority for Television and Radio, resigned following a Supreme Court injunction that blocked the council's formation under her leadership. The government had approved the council in March despite the Attorney General's request to delay the decision pending investigations into alleged appointment flaws raised by Channel 12 News, the Journalists' Association, and the Press Council. Some allegations concerned Ben-Hai Segev herself, who has extensive experience in media regulation but was also a key witness in the high-profile Case 4000, where she initially testified about pressure to expedite a merger deal but later retracted claims of coercion. She also lost a defamation suit against Channel 12 related to her testimony and political appointments.

The new council included members Kinneret Barashi and Dr. Haim Shein, both supporters of Prime Minister Netanyahu but lacking media regulation experience. Following the council's approval, several petitions were filed to the Supreme Court challenging the appointments. The court prohibited the new council from convening in early May, temporarily reinstating the previous council led by Mordechai Mordechai. However, a wave of resignations from the old council members, allegedly pressured by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi's office, led to a loss of quorum and effectively paralyzed the council. In mid-June, the Supreme Court issued an interim order freezing the new council's formation and allowing the old council to continue until the petitions were resolved.

In July, the government escalated the constitutional crisis by declaring it would ignore the Supreme Court ruling and not recognize the current council's decisions. Amid this turmoil, Ben-Hai Segev chose to resign, stating the situation was absurd and unprecedented, emphasizing the personal toll and legal contradictions involved. She criticized the court's intervention as undermining the fundamental principle that the government appoints the council and questioned the logic of regulated entities challenging their regulators. Ben-Hai Segev highlighted the broader implications for public trust and regulatory effectiveness, asserting that a regulator disliked by those it oversees ultimately harms the public interest.