Channel 14 celebrates victory: Second Authority delays law enforcement

The Second Authority Council has decided to grant Channel 14 another extension regarding the issue of moving news broadcasts to Jerusalem, and to delay at this stage the enforcement of the obligation imposed upon it. According to the decision, enforcement will be delayed until the Communications Law promoted by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi comes into effect, or until the end of August 2026 — whichever comes first.

According to TheMarker, the decision was made last month by the Second Authority Council, headed by Mordechai Mordechai. Council members justified the delay, among other things, "considering the costs and complexity of moving the news system to Jerusalem." Alongside this, it was emphasized that the current decision does not determine anything regarding the possibility of initiating violation proceedings against the channel due to its failure to meet legal requirements in previous periods.

At the center of the dispute is the obligation currently existing in the Second Authority for Television and Radio Law, according to which commercial channels are required to broadcast news editions from Jerusalem. Over the years, regulators in the communications field, in cooperation with the Jerusalem Municipality, have worked to bring about the implementation of the directive.

Channel 14, owned by Yitzhak Mirilashvili, previously operated its news system from Jerusalem. However, towards the end of 2021, the channel moved to a new complex in Modi'in, in a move accompanied by a campaign in which it was presented as "Israel's news channel." In contrast, the news studios of Channel 12 (Keshet) and Channel 13 (Reshet) are located in Neve Ilan, after the court ruled that the area is included within the definition of "Greater Jerusalem."

Leading the struggle on this issue for years is the Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem and Chairman of the Administration for Moving Government Bodies to Jerusalem, Adv. Yossi Havilio. Havilio appealed to the Second Authority with a demand to enforce on Channel 14 the obligation to move its broadcasts to the capital. In a response he received at the end of July from the CEO of the Second Authority, Uri Sharf, it was stated that following the completion of the legislative procedures of the Communications Law, there is no longer a normative source requiring the existence of the obligation.

About four years ago, Havilio had already appealed to the High Court of Justice (BAGATZ) against Channel 14 and the Second Authority. The petition dealt with the claim of violating the channel's license conditions and also the claim that the Second Authority is not fulfilling its duty to enforce the law. Eventually, the petition was dismissed after the channel claimed that it enjoyed a three-year exemption period from the date of receiving the license as a small channel in January 2022. The exemption period ended in February 2026, but the channel's news broadcasts continue to originate from Modi'in.

At the same time, Karhi's Communications Law seeks to change the situation from the ground up and remove the obligation to broadcast news from Jerusalem. If the change is implemented, it may be significant not only for Channel 14, but also for i24, owned by Patrick Drahi, which broadcasts its news from the Jaffa Port.

However, the process of the law coming into effect became complicated after the High Court of Justice froze some of its provisions that were supposed to apply immediately. The court's decision mentioned "weighty arguments both regarding the legislative process and regarding the arrangements established in the law," and also raised the concern that after the changes come into effect, it would be difficult to restore the situation to its previous state.

From the Second Authority, they stated to TheMarker: "The clause referring in the new Broadcasting Law to the issue of the move has not been frozen at the moment by the High Court of Justice and is expected to come into effect at the beginning of 2027. The Second Authority will continue to monitor the issue and will update its decisions as required."