The Second Authority Council, Israel’s commercial broadcasting regulatory body, approved on Wednesday the purchase of Channel 13 by the Merit Spread Foundation philanthropic group, funded by a group of tech entrepreneurs led by Wiz co-founder Assaf Rappaport.

The sale of Channel 13, one of the few dominant commercial broadcasters in Israel, has been at the center of a political imbroglio due to the government’s opposition to the sale, apparently owing to Rappaport’s outspoken criticism of the government, first over its judicial overhaul agenda and then over its handling of efforts to release the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi described the approval of the sale as “unlawful,” noting that the government has “already determined that the decisions and outcomes of the unlawful council’s actions will be retroactively voided.”

The Likud minister said the investors had “gambled their money on a wild goose chase,” adding, “The risk is on you.”

The government in July vowed to reject a decision by the Second Authority Council on the matter, even though the High Court of Justice had explicitly authorized the body to make the decision. That sparked concerns of a constitutional crisis, which may now re-emerge.

The government does not, however, actually wield any power over the Second Authority since it is an independent statutory body, so it is unclear how Karhi or the government at large can influence the Channel 13........

© The Times of Israel