The Central Elections Board is on the verge of turning down a request this afternoon to either ban Arutz-7 outright until after the election or curtail its election-related broadcasts. Two left-wing organizations - Keshev and the Center for Jewish Pluralism - filed the request, saying that Arutz-7 gives too much airtime to right-wing parties and not enough to the others. The station denies what it calls the "politically-motivated" charges, saying that it is more careful not to allow its interviewers and interviewees to speak on behalf of specific parties than are Israel's public stations.
Arutz-7's Effie Meir reports that reaction of Elections Board Chairman Hon. Michael Cheshin appears to leave no room for doubt as to his decision. "This law [banning election propaganda] should be nullified. Everyone violates it; it's a 'covenant of thieves.' ... If I would accept this request against Arutz-7, then Arutz-7 could justifiably ask for a similar order against the other stations, because they all violate the law." When Arutz-7 presented its list of recent interviewees, Cheshin showed that he was duly impressed with the balance between the right and left of the political spectrum.
Keshev is headed by Yizhar Be'er, a former Director-General of the left-wing B'Tzelem human rights organization, and is funded by the European Union and the New Israel Fund. The European Union has frequently intervened in internal Israeli matters. Journalist Yoav Yitzchak revealed that the EU funded such left-wing organizations as Peace Now, Four Mothers, the Peres Peace Center, and others, and supported Yossi Beilin and Shlomo Ben-Ami.
Arutz-7's Effie Meir reports that reaction of Elections Board Chairman Hon. Michael Cheshin appears to leave no room for doubt as to his decision. "This law [banning election propaganda] should be nullified. Everyone violates it; it's a 'covenant of thieves.' ... If I would accept this request against Arutz-7, then Arutz-7 could justifiably ask for a similar order against the other stations, because they all violate the law." When Arutz-7 presented its list of recent interviewees, Cheshin showed that he was duly impressed with the balance between the right and left of the political spectrum.
Keshev is headed by Yizhar Be'er, a former Director-General of the left-wing B'Tzelem human rights organization, and is funded by the European Union and the New Israel Fund. The European Union has frequently intervened in internal Israeli matters. Journalist Yoav Yitzchak revealed that the EU funded such left-wing organizations as Peace Now, Four Mothers, the Peres Peace Center, and others, and supported Yossi Beilin and Shlomo Ben-Ami.