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Tuesday, June 2, 2026
Knesset votes to split Karhi’s media overhaul bill, paving way for its advancement
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.
Lawmakers vote 52-45 to split Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi’s controversial media overhaul into separate bills, following a lengthy debate and despite objections from both the committee’s legal advisers and Knesset Legal Adviser Sagit Afik.
The split was originally slated to be voted on yesterday, but was pulled from the agenda at the last minute following opposition from the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party over concerns regarding expanded broadcasts, including sports on Shabbat.
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.
Last week, the special Knesset panel established to advance the legislation approved splitting the bill into separate parts, allowing the coalition to push ahead with parts of the legislation while postponing other provisions.
Committee and Knesset legal advisers strongly opposed the move, warning that dividing core sections of the bill simply because the committee has not finished debating them violates accepted legislative procedure.
The legislation itself is highly controversial, with both the Knesset’s professional legal staff and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara having warned that it undermines press freedom and allows for political interference in the media.
The Times of Israel Community.