The Media Line: Special Knesset Committee To Push Broadcasting Bill Forward as Rift Widens  

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Special Knesset Committee To Push Broadcasting Bill Forward as Rift Widens  

By The Media Line Staff  

Israel’s broadcasting reform entered a new phase this week after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moved to bypass the Knesset’s Economy Committee and accelerate the Broadcasting Law through a special parliamentary body, Israel’s Channel 12 reported. According to the report, the new “Communications Committee” will be created specifically to shift authority away from Economy Committee Chairman MK David Bitan, whose opposition has repeatedly slowed the legislation.   

A separate report by Ynet added that Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi intends to appoint Likud’s former minister of public diplomacy, Galit Distel Atbaryan, to lead the new committee once it is established. Her expected appointment would grant the coalition direct control over the forum tasked with steering the bill through its remaining parliamentary stages, following its first-reading approval in early November.   

The Israeli economics-centered outlet Calcalist provided additional details on the political and institutional tensions behind the move, noting that Knesset Legal Advisor Sagit Afik strongly opposes the committee’s creation and maintains that the bill belongs under the jurisdiction of the Economy Committee. Deputy Attorney General Avital Sompolinsky has also warned that the Broadcasting Law “endangers free media,” arguing that the legislation contains fundamental flaws that could undermine the press’s independence. Despite these warnings, Calcalist reported that coalition leaders intend to expedite the law before the Knesset dissolves, anticipating that petitions to the High Court will follow.    

The confrontation between Karhi and Bitan has been building for nearly a year, marked by public accusations and demands that Karhi waive his parliamentary immunity so Bitan could sue him. Their rift widened earlier this year when Bitan blocked Karhi’s attempt to advance a bill aimed at privatizing the public broadcaster, KAN.    

The Broadcasting Law is the cornerstone of a larger communications overhaul that includes proposals to shut down and privatize KAN within two years; subject the broadcaster’s budget to annual government approval; expand parliamentary scrutiny of its executives; grant the minister powers to block foreign websites even outside emergencies; and restructure the broadcaster’s governing council by transferring appointment authority to the minister. Supporters argue the reform updates outdated broadcast regulations for the digital age, while critics warn it consolidates political power and dismantles long-standing protections for journalistic independence.   

With the special committee in the works, and Distel Atbaryan expected to lead it, the coalition has signaled its intention to accelerate the law’s passage, despite legal challenges and warnings from state gatekeepers about the reform’s impact on Israel’s media landscape.