Abdel Raouf Arnaout and Mohammad Sio
07 July 2026•Update: 07 July 2026
Israel’s government and the Supreme Court traded sharp criticism Tuesday after the government said it would not comply with a court ruling concerning the board of the Second Authority for Television and Radio.
The Second Authority regulates Israel’s commercial television and radio broadcasters.
On June 17, the Supreme Court froze the government’s appointments to a new board for the broadcasting regulator and ordered the current board to remain in place until it rules on petitions challenging the appointments.
In a statement Tuesday, the court criticized the government’s decision to disregard its ruling and warned of the legal consequences of failing to comply with judicial decisions.
According to Israel’s public broadcaster KAN, the court said public officials and elected representatives are required to act in accordance with the law and could face legal and civil liability if they fail to do so.
The court also cited an earlier ruling, saying: “A state in which a governing authority applies the law according to its own wishes, respecting court orders at times and ignoring them at others, is a state in which the seeds of chaos and lawlessness are sown.”
The government announced Sunday that it would not recognize any decision, approval, appointment or action taken by the Second Authority’s board as long as it did not meet the minimum legal quorum required under Israeli law. The announcement followed the Supreme Court’s decision to reinstate the board.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said Tuesday in a post on US social media company X that he stood with “loyal public servants” against what he described as “mafia threats” from Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit and other justices.
“The message to the judges this morning is completely clear: In a democracy, public servants are subject to elected officials, in accordance with the law,” Ben-Gvir wrote.
“If the Supreme Court judges do not like our policies, they can run for office. The people alone decide,” he added.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also criticized the court, writing on X that “the legal mafia has moved to blackmail.”
Calling the court’s statement a “threatening message,” Smotrich said blackmail is a criminal offense that warrants a police investigation and argued that “no one is above the law,” including Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.
“We will defeat this group at the ballot box as well,” Smotrich added.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, also criticized the court.
“The judges are trying to silence those who demand justice,” Levin said in a statement. “Respect for the law and the democratic decision is an obligation for everyone, including the Supreme Court justices.”
The latest dispute is expected to deepen the long-running confrontation between Netanyahu’s government and the judiciary. Since the current coalition took office in late 2022, relations between the government and the courts have been marked by repeated clashes over judicial review of legislation passed by the Knesset and government decisions.
In February, the Supreme Court issued a conditional order requiring Netanyahu to explain why Ben-Gvir should not be dismissed as national security minister, further escalating tensions between the executive and judicial branches.
The order followed petitions filed by Israeli civil society organizations. At the time, Levin warned the dispute could trigger an unprecedented constitutional crisis.
