The Supreme Court, sitting as the High Court of Justice, has issued a dramatic ruling ordering the cancellation of various government decisions regarding the composition of the Second Authority for Television and Radio. According to Channel 13 News, the bench unanimously determined that the appointment of Dr. Yifat Ben-Hai Segev as Chair, as well as the appointments of Adv. Kinneret Barashi and Dr. Haim Schein as board members, must be voided.
The legal action followed petitions filed after journalistic investigations revealed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participated in the government meeting regarding Ben-Hai Segev's appointment while she was serving as a prosecution witness in his ongoing trial. During court proceedings, Justice Alex Stein emphasized the absolute prohibition against contacting or dealing with the affairs of prosecution witnesses while legal proceedings remain pending.
As previously reported, the Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, had confirmed that Netanyahu's participation in the vote violated the conflict-of-interest agreement applicable to him. Various parties in the legal proceedings noted that allegations of process contamination were also raised regarding changes in Ben-Hai Segev's testimony, which led the Prosecution to request she be declared a hostile witness.
A central issue raised during the hearing concerned the conduct of Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi. The Attorney General's representative alleged that the Minister acted directly toward board members to pressure them to resign after the original appointments were frozen by the court. It is alleged that this represents an exceptional case of a government official attempting to circumvent a judicial decision through indirect means.
The Prime Minister's counsel, Adv. Amit Hadad, addressed criticism regarding the speed of the appointments, suggesting that the entire process might have been avoided had the government awaited the legal opinion as per standard practice. The news of the appointments' cancellation highlights the significant importance the judicial system places on adherence to conflict-of-interest rules by elected officials, particularly regarding pending criminal proceedings. The judges emphasized that state authorities must act according to established rules and that government decisions made in violation of these arrangements must be annulled.