Israeli Cabinet Declares It Will Defy High Court Ruling on Broadcast Regulator

Israel's cabinet on Sunday issued a resolution stating it will not recognize any decisions made by the Council of the Second Authority while the body lacks the two-thirds quorum required by law. The move directly challenges a June interim order of the High Court of Justice that had permitted the council to function despite the shortfall.

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi and Justice Minister Yariv Levin said the government believes the court ruling contradicts the explicit language of the 1990 Second Authority law and therefore cannot override it. > "When the High Court tramples the law, the state will not comply with it," Karhi said in a joint statement.

The dispute centers on a proposed purchase of Channel 13 by a group of high-tech entrepreneurs, a transaction that requires council approval. Opposition leaders condemned the cabinet's stance, warning that refusing to obey the court could create a constitutional crisis. > "A government that does not accept the rulings of the High Court of Justice immediately becomes an unlawful government," Opposition Leader Yair Lapid said.

Critics also highlighted recent controversial appointments to the council, including Yifat Ben Hai Segev, whose ties to Channel 13 and involvement in former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s trial have raised conflict-of-interest concerns. After a series of resignations reduced the council to nine members, the High Court temporarily froze its activities, then later ruled that the resignations should not affect the quorum calculation, allowing the council to resume work.

Justice Minister Levin added that in a democratic system the legislature enacts law and the courts apply it, and any ruling that conflicts with statutory wording constitutes a breach of the separation of powers. The Movement for Quality Government and other civil-society groups have pledged to continue legal challenges, asserting that no government entity is above the law.