Will Israeli TV be freer or more regulated?

At first glance, Shlomo Karhi, Israel’s communications minister, sounds like a breath of fresh air as he makes the case for increased media freedom, “rather than stifling it.”

After all, most of us believe that more content, free from censorship, is the best way to preserve democracy, free choice and independent thinking. If you don’t like what you’re hearing, just change the channel. You get to choose what sounds right to your ears!

But when you take a closer look, Karhi’s agenda can be detected in the fine print. On the one hand, when asked, “if a regulator will have the ability to monitor and censor content that the government doesn’t agree with,” he responds by saying, “There was a section in the law which I included… that says that broadcast must be balanced and diverse.”

Since that portion was received with wide criticism, Karhi removed the problematic wording, because it can easily be interpreted as the ability to monitor content. But Karhi promises that “the new regulator will have no authority to interfere in the content.” To emphasize this fact, he says that even if he were to become the new regulator, he wouldn’t “have the authority to monitor content.”

Zachy Hennessey, the interviewer, continuing to press the kippah-wearing minister, asked whether or not that means that a broadcast on pornography would be permitted, his response was, yes, that could happen but, at the same time, confidently assured Hennessey that “no one would watch it.” He claims that there would be no need to regulate such a channel, because the viewers, themselves, would regulate it by not tuning in.

When pivoting to his final question as to whether or not “a channel that deviates against the State of Israel” might be permitted, this is where things got a little murkier. He, again, said that the public would not watch “slander or propaganda,” but isn’t that really a subjective call? For example, Israel's Channel 14, which is known to be very right-leaning and favorable to the prime minister, would have no problem claiming that Channel 13 is left-leaning. Yet, it’s really up to the viewership to decide what represents their point of view. So, slander or propaganda is not, at all, a black and white issue, because it largely depends on the individual and their particular political preferences.

Karhi is in favor of expanding the amount of news channels, as today there are only four – channels 11, 12, 13 and 14. He says that “having a variety will act to balance out the extremism seen today.” Yet, he does not hesitate to also state that “if it violates the law, people can file a complaint to the police or to the court.”  

Herein is the fine print – the words, “if it violates the law.” With an extreme, religiously-driven government coalition, does anyone think that laws will not be created to regulate content of what Israeli citizens are permitted to hear and think? Does anyone believe that members of this coalition are anxious to allow more pluralistic voices and ideologies to be broadcast on our TV sets? And if they aren’t, how will they prevent that from happening? Simple! They will create new laws which will make it possible to censor content – both written and aired.

Shlomo Karhi is just one, among a group of cogs in the wheel, who are attempting to implement their version of what Israel should look like. If he is not actively engaged along with the others, he is, at the very least, complicit, through his silence, in helping these changes take place.  

One example is the fact that he, a highly-educated individual who holds a Ph.D but, nonetheless, chose to remain muted when it came to the Knesset vote to transfer hundreds of millions of shekels to the ultra-Orthodox education sector which does not teach core subjects such as English and math to their students.  

Why didn’t he, at the very least, object to a system which does not afford the same educational opportunities of which he has been a recipient? Why was his voice not loudly heard when considering that other kids will never be given the chance to rise to the levels which he has attained?  This makes him, at best, a willing facilitator and at worst, a fraud who believes that what’s good for him is not good for others.

When taking this into consideration, are we really able to trust his impressive claims that Israeli television will actually be more independent, more pluralistic and inclusive but less regulated? It’s doubtful, however, maybe there’s a chance that he will be different.

Yet, given his past controversial comments, it’s more likely that he will not rise to the aspiration of more freedoms. During this past 2023 Purim holiday, he was quoted as calling reserve pilots, doctors and members of the special operations unit who “announced that they would not volunteer to serve in the reserves if the proposed legal revolution were to pass, impudent conscientious objectors,” telling them to “go to hell.”  He even went further, using the Purim story, found in the Biblical Book of Esther, to say that they were “self-appointed rulers, akin to Haman.”

Such inflammatory comments against a revered, voluntary segment of the Israeli population, which is using whatever tools it has in order to preserve democracy in our homeland, does not speak well of a man who claims that he will allow for more independent voices to be heard as it relates to the government. If anything, it sounds like yet another controversial coalition member who, after having spoken improperly, is trying to remake his image into a more tolerant and freedom-loving person who favors pluralism. 

For now, what we already know about Dr. Karhi is not a very flattering portrayal of the well-educated scholar, who spent years investing in his illustrious career of accounting, information systems and industrial engineering and management, as well as becoming a lecturer and professor. His exposure to institutions of higher learning didn’t seem to serve him well in accepting the differences of opinion and thought among the wider public which he aspires to serve.

So, while we’re watching Israeli television, it might also be worthwhile to closely watch Shlomo Karhi and see whether or not his own narrow world view negatively impacts our airwaves, or whether he is able to rise above his own coalition’s prejudices and intolerance in deference to those who don’t see things in quite the same way. 

At the moment, the jury is still out on this one!