Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Finance Moshe Kahlon held a tete-e-tete meeting today, following ten days of absolutely no contact with each other. The meeting ended without result on the bone of contention, the future of the new Israel Broadcasting Corporation (IBC), but they agreed to meet again soon.
The meeting was initiated by Minister of Health Yaakov Litzman (United Torah Judaism), who proposed that the heads of the coalition parties leave their weekly meeting so that Kahlon and Netanyahu could talk privately. In the coalition parties it was hoped that the issue of the IBC would be settled, and no less important, whether the Knesset will be dissolved for early elections. As of now, it is still unclear what Netanyahu really wants.
The leaders of all coalition factions oppose early elections, particularly over the issue of the IBC. Government sources believe that if Netanyahu nevertheless makes this decision, it is more likely connected to the police investigations, not necessarily to the IBC. They believe that Netanyahu hopes that the Attorney General will refrain from filing an indictment during an election campaign, while he will find it equally as difficult to do so following the elections. The sources noted, however, that the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties had the most to lose in the event of early elections, saying, "The haredim have never had a better coalition." For this reason, the two ministers prominently mentioned as intermediaries between Kahlon and Netanyahu were Litzman and Minister of the Development of the Negev and Galilee and Minister of the Interior and Shas chairman Aryeh Deri.
As of now, at least, Netanyahu's official position is that the beginning of IBC broadcasts, scheduled by law for the beginning of April, should be prevented through an abbreviated legislative proceeding when the Knesset is not officially in session. Kahlon, on the other hand, has so far insisted that the new corporation must begin operating on schedule, but at the same time has consistently accepted the ostensibly radical law initiated by Netanyahu, which will subject all the broadcasting entities (both public and commercial) in Israel to a single supervisory council whose members will be appointed by government politicians. The Attorney General has objected to this law.
Published by Globes [online], Israel Business News - www.globes-online.com - on March 26, 2017
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