Israel Public Broadcasting Search Committee Interviews Candidates for Key Posts
Israel's public broadcaster search committee interviews top candidates for chairman and council posts, following High Court rulings that overturned government dismissal attempts amid a governance quorum crisis.
The search committee for Israel's Public Broadcasting Corporation has been active in recent weeks to find a chairman and council members for the broadcaster. According to Globes, several candidates have approached the committee, including four who reached personal interviews: Prof. Menahem Ben-Sasson, a current council member, chancellor and former president and rector of the Hebrew University; Eldad Koblenz, the corporation's first CEO since its establishment; Moti Shaklar, former CEO of the Broadcasting Authority, former CEO of the Second Authority, and chairman of Channel 20; and Yona Wiesenthal, a council member, former CEO of the Broadcasting Authority, and former VP of Content at yes.
Additional candidates have also emerged, though it remains unconfirmed if they were formally interviewed by the committee: Yulia Shamalov-Berkovich, current chair of the Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Council and former CEO of News 13 who stepped down following staff opposition; and Eva Madzhibozh-Levy, former CEO of the Israel Museum, chair of the Second Authority for Television and Radio, and CEO of Radio Tel Aviv, among other roles.
Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi of Likud previously attempted to oust the chair of the search committee, retired Judge Nehama Munitz, claiming she failed to properly fulfill her role. However, the High Court of Justice ruled the move unlawful and overturned the dismissal several months ago.
The newly selected chair will succeed Gil Omer, who served as chairman of the corporation's council from its inception and led it for two consecutive terms, following an extension granted by former Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel upon the search committee's recommendation.
High Court Rulings and Institutional Paralysis
The struggle to staff the council of the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation unfolds amid ongoing paralysis in the broadcaster's governing bodies. Since November 2024, the number of council members fell below the legal quorum of seven members required to make decisions. This situation stripped the council of its ability to oversee operations and make critical decisions, chief among them selecting a permanent CEO and appointing a permanent chairman. Meanwhile, current CEO Golan Yochpaz's term has been extended by judicial order until a legal quorum is established.
About a month ago, the High Court of Justice accepted petitions from the "Hatzlacha" movement, nullifying Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi's attempt to dismiss search committee chair retired Judge Nehama Munitz. The court compelled him to sign the appointment of four council members, including Michal Rafali Kaduri, Prof. Menahem Ben-Sasson, CPA Amir Sabahat, and Aliza Dayan Hamama. The court emphasized that the minister's discretion is extremely limited, must rely solely on professional grounds, and dismissed political justifications for disqualifying candidates.
By law, the council is supposed to comprise 12 members. Until November 2024, ten served, and with the expiration of five terms, only five remained. Now, even after the ruling approving four appointments, the council numbers only six members—roughly half its full composition and still below the threshold of seven required to exercise full statutory powers.
