Israeli Public Broadcaster Considers Halting Rabbi Yosef's Radio Broadcasts

Israel's public broadcaster, Kan, is considering suspending the radio broadcasts of Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, the spiritual leader of the Shas party, following his harsh remarks against Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. During his weekly sermon, regularly aired on Kan Moreshet radio, Rabbi Yosef referred to the Attorney General as "crazy" and stated, "Who is she anyway? May God destroy her. May He strike her down. This will not go unanswered."

Rabbi Yosef also has a separate program on the station on Fridays, providing him with another platform for his messages. One Kan presenter noted that Rabbi Yosef is "a political leader in every sense," and continuing his broadcasts during an election period would constitute "propaganda."

Following inquiries from "Yedioth Ahronoth" and Ynet, Kan stated it would re-evaluate whether Rabbi Yosef's sermons can be broadcast live during the election period. While Kan presenters have criticized the Rabbi's statements on air, they have not explicitly mentioned that the inciting remarks against the Attorney General were broadcast on their own station.

Kan Moreshet, described as the most popular radio station among Israel's religious and ultra-Orthodox public, airs Torah lessons from a wide range of rabbis. Kan stated, "Ahead of the elections, the station's management discussed the issue of airing live Torah lessons that could constitute election propaganda. It was decided last week to address this with the participating rabbis. Kan Moreshet will act to avoid election propaganda or messages inappropriate for public broadcasting."