Central Elections Committee Chairman Noam Solberg dismissed out of hand today (Wednesday) a petition seeking to ban Channel 14 from broadcasting news and current affairs programs featuring Knesset candidates from Likud, Religious Zionism, and Otzma Yehudit. The petition was filed by Shaquf—For Protecting Democracy, a far-left advocacy group whose founders include Tomer Avital. It claimed the channel effectively serves as a propaganda platform for these parties, in violation of election law.
1+Section 5 of the Elections Law (Methods of Propaganda), 1959, prohibits broadcasting election propaganda on television and radio during the 60 days before election day (except for official election broadcasts under the law). The far-left organization argued in its petition that Channel 14 effectively operates as a propaganda channel for these parties, primarily Likud.
In his ruling, the elections committee chairman determined that the petitioners have an alternative remedy—namely, another body that can address their claims: the Second Authority for Television and Radio, which has expertise in the matter. Additionally, the petition includes allegations of violations during the 60 days, but these did not appear in the preliminary complaint the petitioners sent to the channel before filing the petition. The petition was therefore dismissed out of hand, without addressing the merits.
1+Meanwhile, another, more specific petition was filed against the channel, claiming that the appearance of candidates from only one political bloc violates the requirement for ideological diversity. The elections committee chairman ordered Channel 14 to submit its response to this petition by this coming Friday, and no final decision has yet been reached on the matter.