First publication: Opposition members tried to black out Channel 14 in Ra'anana

Two opposition council members in the Ra'anana municipality are seeking to bring a motion to stop the broadcasting of Channel 14 in all municipal public buildings. The two are trying to disguise the political decision as a professional move, while attempting to deal in advance with the understandable claim regarding the infringement of freedom of speech, but it is difficult to ignore the very political and clear wording of the proposal that discriminates between the channel and other media outlets.

The opposition's proposal

The text of the proposal states, among other things:

"Channel 14 is characterized by an unusual and significant number of cases of spreading false claims, incitement, offensive discourse, and double standards. Therefore, until a re-examination is conducted in accordance with the criteria to be established, the channel will not be broadcast on screens located in municipal public buildings."

Sources in the municipality explained that these are opposition council members who are interested in gaining points ahead of the election campaign, and that this is contrary to the municipality's policy and the law, and therefore this proposal has no possibility of passing.

The Ra'anana municipality responded to the matter:

"This is a delusional and unnecessary proposal by opposition members, whose entire purpose is to create a provocation and deepen a discourse of incitement and division, instead of dealing with issues that truly serve the residents of Ra'anana. It is important to clarify that propaganda or political broadcasts do not take place in municipal facilities at all, and therefore the proposal will be removed from the agenda. Ra'anana is an inclusive, pluralistic, and open city, where every person is free to read, watch, and be exposed to content according to their choice and worldview, and there is no intention to change this. Precisely in these days, it is appropriate to promote a unifying and respectful discourse, and not moves that encourage factionalism, incitement, and division."