The government argued that the court order violates one of the provisions of the 1990 law for the Second Authority, and said \u201cthe government has determined that the rule of law obligates all governmental authorities, including the court,\u201d and that \u201ca ruling that directly contradicts the clear language of the law cannot confer authority that does not exist under the law.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t \u201cWe told the High Court that its behavior was against the law,\u201d Zohar insisted on Monday. \u201cWe must obey the High Court\u2019s decisions, but we are saying that we are on the verge of a constitutional crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n The declaration was denounced by the opposition, while President Isaac Herzog said disobeying High Court rulings would cross \u201ca red line.\u201d<\/p>\n Former prime minister Naftali Bennett, who leads the Together party, said on Monday that if the government ignores the High Court decision, \u201cevery citizen is forced to ask themself, who do I obey?\u201d<\/p>\n The government? The court? And when there is not a single answer, there is no single country. There is anarchy. Chaos,\u201d he wrote on X.<\/p>\n \u201cIt already happened to us twice, and twice it caused destruction. And on the second time we copped 2,000 years of exile, pogroms, persecution, and a terrible Holocaust,\u201d Bennett said.<\/p>\n \t Retired Supreme Court justice Hanan Melcer, who serves as president of the Israel Press Council, also slammed the government\u2019s declaration, saying it put Israel in a position \u201creminiscent of the eve of October 7,\u201d when the coalition\u2019s controversial judicial overhaul legislation sparked deep divisions among the Israeli public and regular, mass nationwide protests.<\/p>\n Speaking to Kan, Melcer said that the government resolution \u201ccrossed a red line\u201d as it effectively \u201cstates that they don\u2019t recognize the decisions of the High Court of Justice.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is an attack on democracy,\u201d warned the retired judge.<\/p>\n \u201cThen, as now, someone broke out with the idea of a coup d\u2019\u00e9tat and the abolition of judicial independence,\u201d he said, comparing the moment to the crisis set off by the proposed judicial overhaul. \u201cOur enemies heard, saw, and acted on it. I\u2019m warning that, at least in my opinion, we\u2019re in a very similar situation.\u201d<\/p>\n The fight over the membership of the Second Authority\u2019s council centers around a proposed buyout of Channel 13 by a group of high-tech entrepreneurs, headed by a prominent critic of the government, which the council must approve.<\/p>\n \t Organizations that petitioned the High Court against the government alleged that Karhi and the government tried to assert political control over the council to thwart the buyout. And the court itself, in an interim order in May, all but accused Karhi of unlawfully exerting influence over the council in an effort to hinder its operations and, by extension, the Channel 13 acquisition.<\/p>\n In disobeying the High Court, the government could create a constitutional crisis if the Council of the Second Authority makes decisions that the court would consider valid but that the government rejects.<\/p>\n The struggle over the Second Authority comes against the backdrop of Karhi\u2019s persistent efforts over the entire course of the government\u2019s tenure to exert greater control over the regulation of broadcast media, as well as his efforts to reduce the independence of Kan, or shut it down completely.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident \u2013 ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded \u2013 I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.<\/p>\n There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.<\/p>\n As a Times of Israel reporter, I\u2019m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit\u2019s. But my colleagues and I can’t do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.<\/p>\n \u2014 Stav Levaton, military reporter<\/p>\n \t\t\t
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\n\t\tSupreme Court President Isaac Amit presides over a hearing in the High Court of Justice, June 28, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg\/Flash90)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/F260701AVS31-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tFormer prime minister Naftali Bennett at the Herzliya Conference at Reichman University in Herzliya, July 1, 2026 (Avshalom Sassoni\/Flash90)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/F241218CG100-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tFormer Supreme Court justice Hanan Melcer, who now serves as president of the Israeli Press Council, at an Economic Affairs committee meeting at the Knesset on December 18, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg\/Flash90)<\/p>\n
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