Likud member’s company produces high school election panels with hosts from right-wing Channel 14 — report

A company run by a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party has received public funds to produce high school Knesset election panels moderated by hosts from the right-wing Channel 14, Haaretz reports.

The Activities Productions panels, which feature candidates from various parties, have reportedly taken place at over 20 high schools across Israel ahead of the October 27 election. They are available to schools as part of Gefen, the Education Ministry’s slate of funded extracurricular programming vendors that school administrators can choose from.

The company’s CEO is Acre resident Eran Shechter, who Haaretz says has a “history of political activity in the Likud” in the years 2018-2022, including announcing in 2018 that he would run in the party primaries for a spot reserved for candidates from the Haifa region.

The Education Ministry responds to Haaretz that it “does not look into the party affiliation of vendors, but rather their compliance with guidelines that apply to all Gefen programs. To the extent the program is found to have strayed from those, the matter will be handled appropriately.”

Activities tells the newspaper it complies with Education Ministry guidelines and makes sure “to present various positions substantively and fairly.” The company also says it “employs various hosts with media experience from a variety of networks, including Channels 12, 14 and 16.”