Storm following Yitzhak Amit's remarks: "Insolent mockery of a huge public"

Shas party today (Wednesday) sharply attacked the President of the Supreme Court, Justice Yitzhak Amit, following his remarks about holders of "kosher phones" during a High Court of Justice hearing on a petition against the expansion of broadcasting areas for regional radio stations. The party defined his words as "insolent mockery" and claimed they express "arrogance and detachment from a huge public," after Amit cast doubt on the assumptions upon which the justification for expanding broadcasts during an emergency was based, and also referred to usage habits of phones in the Haredi public.

The sharp response from Shas came following the remarks heard during the High Court of Justice hearing. The party linked Amit's words to the struggle surrounding the use of "kosher phones" and clarified that they will continue to act to preserve the ability of the Haredi public to use them in accordance with their way of life.

"The insolent, mocking words of the Supreme Court President, Justice Amit, towards holders of 'kosher phones' express arrogance and detachment from a huge public that chooses to raise its children in a protected and pure climate. Shas is proud to have led the law to preserve the 'kosher level' and will continue to defend the right of every public to live according to its faith," the party stated.

The storm developed during a hearing on a petition against moves to expand the broadcasting areas of regional radio stations. As part of the hearing, the claim that expanding broadcasts is necessary in an emergency to allow populations that do not use other means of communication to receive alerts and information was examined, among other things.

Amit cast doubt on the assumptions upon which the argument is based. Referring to holders of "kosher phones," he said during the hearing: "Often, someone who has a 'kosher phone' in one pocket, also has a phone to call in the other pocket." He later added: "They say it is a very significant percentage of the Haredi population that holds two phones. One 'kosher phone' to show off, and one real phone, a smarter phone."

Later in the hearing, as reported from the courtroom, Amit also referred to the claim that there are about 10,000 people who hold only a "kosher phone" and do not use other means of communication. He questioned the assumption that those people would not be willing to listen to a heritage channel even in a case of life-threatening danger, and added: "They are truly strange people."

The remarks were made within the framework of a petition filed by Lobby 99 and the Hatzlacha organization against decisions regarding the expansion of broadcasting areas for a number of regional radio stations. Among other things, the decision of Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi is being attacked, as he used the emergency authority established in the Communications Law to allow the expansion of broadcasts beyond the areas where the stations are usually authorized to operate.

The justification presented for the move concerns the need to transmit information and alerts in an emergency to populations that are not necessarily exposed to other means of communication. On the other hand, the petitioners argue, among other things, that the minister's decision was made without a sufficient factual basis and that the emergency authority does not allow for changing the regional broadcasting map through it.

During the hearing, Amit cast doubt on the need to continue expanding broadcasts when the emergency situation is defined as "green." His words about "kosher phones" were said as part of the discussion on the question of how much the expansion is indeed necessary to reach a public that cannot receive information in other ways.