From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, July 7, 2026
Shas set to back Karhi media bill after party’s spiritual leader orders support for coalition agenda
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 Shas party is expected to back Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi’s controversial media overhaul bill after the party’s spiritual leader, Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, reportedly instructed party chairman Aryeh Deri to support all coalition legislation in exchange for the passage of a Basic Law for Torah study and repeal of the previous government’s kosher certification reform.
The apparent about-face comes a day after Shas announced it could not support the media bill because of its failure to include amendments demanded by the Haredi parties to prevent a government media app from broadcasting on Shabbat and to filter adult content.
Karhi reportedly appealed directly to Yosef in a letter yesterday, prompting the rabbi to reply, “There is no room for delay, and under no circumstances should the passage of the Torah Study Law be put at risk.”
Regarding the kosher certification bill, which would restore the Chief Rabbinate’s exclusive control over kosher certification, the former Sephardi chief rabbi said, “The people of Israel must be saved from eating non-kosher food” and that “the Torah is above all else.”
The other ultra-Orthodox party, United Torah Judaism, is still refusing to support Karhi’s bill, potentially depriving the coalition of the majority needed to pass the legislation.
The media overhaul bill would give the government significant control over broadcast media, news sites, and other media. It has been criticized by the Knesset’s professional legal staff and by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who have warned that it undermines press freedom and allows for political interference in the media.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly reached an agreement with the ultra-Orthodox parties last month ending their boycott of coalition legislation. Under the deal, the coalition agreed to advance key Haredi priorities, including the Basic Law, kosher certification repeal, and legislation freezing arrests of ultra-Orthodox draft evaders, in exchange for Haredi backing for the coalition’s legislative agenda.
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