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Tuesday, June 2, 2026
Haredi rabbis urge coalition to oppose Karhi’s media bill over Shabbat concerns
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleAriela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.
The ultra-Orthodox Rabbinical Committee for the Sanctity of the Sabbath urges coalition leaders to oppose Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi’s media overhaul bill, arguing that it would desecrate the Jewish day of rest by expanding access to television broadcasts on Shabbat.
The legislation, which lawmakers are expected to vote on splitting into separate bills in the Knesset plenum today, was supposed to be voted on yesterday but was pulled from agenda at the last minute following opposition from the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party over concerns regarding expanded broadcasts, including sports on the Sabbath.
The controversial bill, which passed its first reading in the Knesset in January and requires two more votes before it can be passed into law, would give the government significant control over broadcast media, news sites and other media.
A week ago, a special Knesset panel established to advance the legislation approved splitting it into separate parts, paving the way for the coalition to push ahead with parts of the legislation while postponing other provisions, despite objections from both the committee and Knesset legal advisers.
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