Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asks Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon to delay the closure of the Israel Broadcasting Authority by six months so the parties can come to an agreement, the Prime Minister’s Office says.
The ailing broadcaster is set to be replaced by a new state-run media conglomerate whose launch has been postponed several times.
IBA has already been subjected to drastic manpower and budget cuts in recent years in preparation for its replacement, including the early retirement and firing of hundreds of employees.
Netanyahu has been opposed to the new corporation and has been leading a charge to kill it.
Likud officials have claimed that nixing the new corporation would save the state some NIS 2.5 billion ($658 million), a figure later ridiculed by the Finance Ministry and Erdan.
Critics from both the coalition and the opposition say the real reason for the move was Netanyahu’s fear of the corporation’s political independence.
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From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
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