The court ruling against Arutz-7 today once again pitted right-wing against left-wing. Many right-wing ministers, MKs, and others reacted with fury to the decision. The Yesha Council issued a statement saying that the Arutz-7 convicts are idealists who are termed "law breakers" only because the governments of Israel never enabled an "open skies" broadcasting policy.
MK Tzvi Hendel (National Union), the legislator who has been the most active on behalf of Arutz-7 over the years, said, "We will not sit back and allow the silencing of an entire public sector. The court has decided to punish hundreds of thousands of listeners... The hounding of Arutz-7 by the left-wing State Prosecution will not succeed. The present right-wing government must make an immediate decision to allow free broadcasts, as in the rest of the world."
The National Union Knesset faction has invited the management of Arutz-7 to meet with them to discuss the advancement of special legislation that will legalize the station.
Left-wing Meretz party leader MK Zahava Gal'on called on Prime Minister Sharon, in his capacity as Communications Minister, to close Arutz-7 immediately. "It cannot be that a pirate radio station," she said, "continues to operate in a state run by law, and therefore the time has come to close it down."
Hevron Jewish Community leader Noam Arnon said, "The only reason why the left-wing spends so much time and effort on Arutz-7 is because Arutz-7 has been such a great success in being a mouthpiece for such a vast audience in Israel."
Women in Green issued a sharp response: "The Bolshevik dictatorship has struck again. A left-wing court system, representing a minority of the nation, is trying to shut the mouth of the nationalist public that represents the majority. Where are all the liberals who stand for freedom of speech? Is there freedom of speech only for the left, but not for the right? It is our prayer that Arutz-7 will come out of this even stronger."
On February 23, 1999, the Knesset, by a 40-30 vote, passed a law formally licensing Arutz-7 - and within hours, left-wing MKs Yossi Sarid, Chaim Oron, and Eitan Cabel submitted petitions against it. Over three years later, on March 26, 2002, the Supreme Court deemed the duly-passed Knesset law null and void. It ruled that the special Arutz-7 law harms the country's "rule of law" as well as the "freedom of occupation" of potential competitors. Yesterday, the Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, passed a resolution authorizing the passage of legislation to impose stiff fines and possible prison sentences on those who advertise on unlicensed radio stations.
MK Tzvi Hendel (National Union), the legislator who has been the most active on behalf of Arutz-7 over the years, said, "We will not sit back and allow the silencing of an entire public sector. The court has decided to punish hundreds of thousands of listeners... The hounding of Arutz-7 by the left-wing State Prosecution will not succeed. The present right-wing government must make an immediate decision to allow free broadcasts, as in the rest of the world."
The National Union Knesset faction has invited the management of Arutz-7 to meet with them to discuss the advancement of special legislation that will legalize the station.
Left-wing Meretz party leader MK Zahava Gal'on called on Prime Minister Sharon, in his capacity as Communications Minister, to close Arutz-7 immediately. "It cannot be that a pirate radio station," she said, "continues to operate in a state run by law, and therefore the time has come to close it down."
Hevron Jewish Community leader Noam Arnon said, "The only reason why the left-wing spends so much time and effort on Arutz-7 is because Arutz-7 has been such a great success in being a mouthpiece for such a vast audience in Israel."
Women in Green issued a sharp response: "The Bolshevik dictatorship has struck again. A left-wing court system, representing a minority of the nation, is trying to shut the mouth of the nationalist public that represents the majority. Where are all the liberals who stand for freedom of speech? Is there freedom of speech only for the left, but not for the right? It is our prayer that Arutz-7 will come out of this even stronger."
On February 23, 1999, the Knesset, by a 40-30 vote, passed a law formally licensing Arutz-7 - and within hours, left-wing MKs Yossi Sarid, Chaim Oron, and Eitan Cabel submitted petitions against it. Over three years later, on March 26, 2002, the Supreme Court deemed the duly-passed Knesset law null and void. It ruled that the special Arutz-7 law harms the country's "rule of law" as well as the "freedom of occupation" of potential competitors. Yesterday, the Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, passed a resolution authorizing the passage of legislation to impose stiff fines and possible prison sentences on those who advertise on unlicensed radio stations.