High Court temporarily freezes parts of Shlomo Karhi's broadcasting reform as petitions grow

BySARAH BEN-NUNJULY 19, 2026 09:25Updated: JULY 19, 2026 09:55The High Court of Justice on Sunday temporarily froze the provisions of Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi’s broadcasting reform that were set to take effect upon the law’s publication, while declining for now to suspend the overhaul in its entirety.Justice Ofer Grosskopf said four new petitions challenging the law would be consolidated with three petitions filed while the legislation was still making its way through the Knesset.Grosskopf said the petitions raised “weighty claims” regarding both the way the law was enacted and some of the arrangements it established or abolished.Given the scale of the changes and their expected effect on the Israeli media market, he said, there was also concern that it would be difficult to “turn back the clock” once the law entered into force.Supreme court justice Ofer Grosskopf (C) arrives for a hearing on a petition to convene the Judicial Selection Committee at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, May 24, 2026. (credit: NOAM REVKIN/FLASH90)Grosskopf declines full suspension, partial freeze enabledHowever, since most of the law’s provisions are not scheduled to take effect immediately, Grosskopf declined to issue a temporary order suspending the legislation in full.Instead, he froze only those provisions whose starting date was set for the date of publication.This is a developing story.Keshet Neev contributed to this report. Follow us on Google