Michal Ben Ari files complaint over alleged pressure on Second Authority council members
Yesh Atid faction chair MK Merav Ben Ari on Monday sent a complaint to Civil Service Commissioner Doron Cohen and Disciplinary Department head Guy David, accusing Elad Zamir, chief of staff to Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, of improper interference in the independent work of the Second Authority for Television and Radio council. Ben Ari said Karhi himself admitted that Zamir acted as his “long arm” in pressuring council members to resign and to pass on the minister’s position.
Her complaint relies on a petition affidavit submitted to the High Court by council member Dr. Marlene Wenig, who said Zamir called her at the end of May and suggested she resign. Wenig wrote that the conversation was conducted in a manipulative way and that Zamir repeatedly urged her to quit, stressing that the minister had extended her term. She said she felt uncomfortable, told him she would think it over and consult others, and he asked that the call remain private. After resigning, she tried to withdraw her resignation, but Karhi rejected the request.
Wenig said she changed her mind after realizing the scale of additional resignations, which could paralyze the council’s work. The current council is operating under a High Court order after the government froze the new council it appointed. In a further affidavit, five other resigning council members said they were informed of the minister’s position by the minister’s chief of staff, though they did not claim direct pressure from Karhi or Zamir.
Karhi’s own High Court affidavit said he had called on council members to resign, both publicly and through calls made on his behalf by Zamir. He argued that public representatives should not force themselves on the public after their term ends, but also claimed he had no way to influence a member’s decision to resign. Ben Ari said the alleged conduct was especially serious because it targeted an independent regulatory body and undermined public trust. She also noted Zamir was convicted in January in a civil service disciplinary court, under a plea deal, on two counts of inappropriate conduct after he attacked journalist Shabi Gatenio and sent defamatory messages about MK David Bitan. Ben Ari asked the civil service commission to act immediately. The High Court is due to hear petitions on Tuesday against the government’s decision to appoint a new Second Authority council, after asking whether pressure was applied to members of the existing council before they resigned.
