Response of the petitioner, the Movement for Quality Government:
This is a great achievement for democracy and free media in Israel. The Supreme Court has now expanded the interim order freezing the political takeover of the Second Authority Council and ensures that the outgoing council will continue to serve and fulfill its role as the gatekeeper of broadcast media. No less important – the court gave a clear response to the attempt to paralyze it: it found a strong suspicion that the resignation of the council members was intended only to thwart its decisions, with the involvement of the Minister of Communications, and has ruled that the resigning members will not be included in the quorum – so that the improper exercise will not succeed.
It is important to emphasize: the political echelon must not be allowed to turn an independent regulator into an executive arm of the government, and to determine who will report and what will be reported to the public. We will continue to defend the independence of the regulator and freedom of the press on all fronts, until the final decision on the petition.