Israel Police Closes Investigations into Channel 14 Incitement Claims
Israel's Police have decided to close investigations into two petitions filed against Channel 14, concerning hundreds of statements broadcast by the channel or its associated social media accounts. The petitions, which were brought before the Supreme Court, alleged that some statements constituted incitement to violence, racism, and genocide, while others targeted the justice system. The decision to close the cases was made by the head of the Police's Investigations and Intelligence Department, Superintendent Boaz Balt, according to the Israeli media watchdog The Seventh Eye.
The State informed the Supreme Court that after reviewing the relevant materials, the decision was made to shelve the investigation files. Consequently, the State is requesting the court to conclude the legal proceedings, arguing that the petitions' objective was to compel the police to make a decision, which has now been fulfilled.
The first petition was filed in May 2025 by the Movement for Fair Regulation, the Israeli Democratic Bloc, and the Zulat Institute. They presented over 250 statements, which they claimed were a sample of a broader, ongoing discourse on the channel and social media. Examples cited included remarks about erasing Gaza, expelling the population, and using an atomic bomb. Channel 14 denied these allegations, stating it does not support or encourage genocide in Gaza and that the petitions were politically motivated attempts to harm the channel.
A separate proceeding addressed 114 statements allegedly directed at the Supreme Court, its judges, the Chief Justice, and the Attorney General. The complaint suggested these statements could constitute offenses such as sedition, incitement to violence, contempt of court, and insulting public officials.
The police had faced criticism for the slow pace of their investigation. In December, reports indicated that only 39 out of 268 statements from one complaint had been examined, with further review expected to take months. Despite the volume of material and the serious nature of the claims, the final decision was not to open criminal investigations and to close both cases. The Supreme Court is now expected to rule on whether to dismiss the petitions.
