Commission to examine election campaigning laws

A new commission will examine far-ranging reforms to the Election Law — Electioneering, President Reuven Rivlin and Justice Selim Joubran jointly announce.

Heading the commission will be former chief justice Dorit Beinisch, who was appointed at the request of Joubran to Rivlin.

Joubran believes the law in its current form is outdated and has long called for it to be updated (Israel’s laws on propaganda date back to 1959). Indeed, during the last election campaign, as a form of silent protest, he made a point of ruling on violations of the law only in response to complaints by the various political parties, and avoided taking any proactive action on his own.

“It is appropriate that the commission will include retired politicians, jurists, media professionals, senior officials from the Central Elections Committee and the like,” Joubran wrote in his request to Rivlin.

The 1959-legislation, which Joubran described as being “archaic,” includes such bizarre prohibitions as a ban on carrying torches while holding parades, or using projectors to cast strong light in buildings during the night hours.

Joubran complained that the law ignores “today’s most popular media tool, in general, and even more so during an election campaign – the internet.”

“In my view,” he continued, “the law in its entirety needs be thoroughly examined and its prohibitions and limitations adapted to our existing reality.”

“My predecessors with no exception called on lawmakers to adapt the law to the present. The High Court of Justice joined these calls in many verdicts. Nevertheless, no serious reform was undertaken and only pinpoint clauses were amended. Therefore this very important law remains more or less as when it was legislated, 56 years ago.”

The commission will examine the law and make its recommendations to the Knesset’s Law and Justice Committee, as well as the Central Election Committee. “With a little bit of luck, by the election for the 21^st Knesset campaigns will be held according to a new legislation,” Joubran wrote.