This morning in the High Court: The decisive hearing on regional radio stations

The High Court of Justice is hearing a petition against Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi's decision to expand the broadcast areas of regional radio stations beyond their franchise zones. The petitioners argue that the decision was made without authority, using Section 13A of the Communications Law, which empowers the minister in emergency circumstances, and that it contains substantial flaws, including a lack of sufficient evidentiary basis and improper considerations. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara supports the petitioners' position, stating that the instructions were given without authority and without sufficient factual and professional basis. In response, Minister Karhi defends his decision, arguing that it is intended to provide an immediate operational response to gaps in providing life-saving information to the Bedouin diaspora population in the south and the ultra-Orthodox public in the north, for whom sectoral radio is the only accessible electronic media in real time. The hearing is being conducted before a panel of three judges headed by Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit.