developing· Politics· Updated 14:59

Israel's Supreme Court Issues Conditional Order Against Communications Law

On Thursday, October 29, 2026, Israel's Supreme Court, sitting as the High Court of Justice, issued an interim order freezing the implementation of the new Communications Law (Broadcasting) of 2026. The court also issued an order nisi, demanding that the government and other respondents explain by January 7, 2027, why the law should not be canceled due to alleged procedural defects in its legislative process.

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Israel's Supreme Court Issues Conditional Order Against Communications Law — Illustration by baba

What happened

01The Supreme Court froze the new Communications Law of 2026 and issued an order nisi demanding the government justify its legislative process.
02The government and other respondents must submit response affidavits to the court by January 7, 2027.
03A three-judge panel led by Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit decided to rule on procedural enactment flaws before addressing the law's substance.
04The final hearing regarding the validity of the Communications Law will be held before an expanded panel of nine justices.
05Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara previously warned that the law was passed through a flawed process and would cause severe damage to the free communications market.
06The petitions against the law were filed by Knesset members, the Journalists' Association of Israel, the Israel Press Council, and the Israeli News Company.
07The law approved in July establishes a new broadcast authority with a NIS 25 million budget and permits minimally regulated news channels.
08According to Kan News, the Minister of Communications pushed the legislation at the request of the Prime Minister, who is barred from media-related decisions.

The decision was made by a three-judge panel led by Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit, alongside Justices Alex Stein and Yechiel Kasher. The court decided to bifurcate the proceedings, focusing first on the procedural validity of the law's enactment before addressing its substantive provisions. The final hearing on the matter will be held before an expanded panel of nine justices.

The ruling follows petitions filed by media organizations, lawmakers, the Journalists' Association of Israel, the Israel Press Council, and the Israeli News Company. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara had previously urged the court to halt the law, arguing it was passed through a flawed process with an extreme accumulation of substantive defects that would cause severe damage to the free communications market.

Approved by the Knesset in July, the law dissolves existing broadcasting councils to establish a new broadcast authority with an annual budget of NIS 25 million, permits minimally regulated news channels, and eliminates the structural separation between broadcasters and their news companies. According to Kan News, the Minister of Communications admitted he pushed the law at the Prime Minister's request, despite the Prime Minister being restricted from media-related decisions due to an ongoing trial.

Summarized by baba from the reports of 7 newsrooms. Updated 14:31

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