Debate Over Israel's National Radio and Television Organization and Potential Coalition Government Collapse

The debate over Israel's National Radio and Television Organization has put the coalition government of the country at risk of collapse. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister and leader of the ruling Likud party, stated on Sunday, March 19, that if his coalition partners reject his stance on the necessity of maintaining the National Radio and Television Organization, he is prepared to push for early elections. However, Moshe Kahlon, Israel's Finance Minister and leader of the 'Kulanu' party with ten seats, responded to his threat by saying that his party 'is not afraid of early elections.' The Finance Minister stated that the law passed by the Knesset regarding the establishment of a new media organization to replace the National Radio and Television Organization must be implemented. Discussions regarding Israel's national radio and television have been ongoing for years. The problems of this organization, which dates back eighty years, ten years before Israel's independence, have increased over the past decade. The budget for this organization has historically been funded not by the government or institutions but through small fees paid by each Israeli family. However, populist politicians, including those from the Likud party, described the fees as 'imposed' and ultimately eliminated them three years ago. The exacerbation of budgetary problems for the National Radio and Television Organization due to the removal of fees coincided with the appointment of a journalist named 'Yoni Ben Menachem' as the director-general of the organization, who was accused by other Israeli media of supporting Netanyahu's views. When the Israeli government was embroiled in a war with Hamas militants in Gaza three years ago, the Knesset approved the law to dissolve the National Radio and Television Organization in a midnight session on July 29, 2014. Netanyahu has repeatedly stated in recent weeks that he was so busy managing the issues of that war that the fate of the National Radio and Television Organization 'fell off his radar,' and he regrets this. The Knesset law states that following the dissolution of the National Radio and Television Organization, a new media organization must be established, funded by the government. However, the new organization has delayed its establishment for years, and its officials have resigned one after another, with accusations that instead of hiring journalists from the National Organization, they are hiring others with high salaries and requesting more budget. The crisis that arose from the summer of 2014 led to the voluntary resignation of one thousand permanent employees and hundreds of contract employees from the National Radio and Television Organization out of two thousand reporters, technical staff, permanent employees, and announcers. According to the law, the National Radio and Television Organization must cease operations by April 30, which is the same day the new organization is supposed to begin its work. The dissolution of the National Organization means the dismissal of one thousand remaining permanent staff and the unemployment of hundreds of other contract employees; they have intensified their protests in recent days in cities across the country. Some members of the National Organization, who will soon be unemployed, described their difficult situation in a meeting with Netanyahu on March 18, stating that the new organization would not hire them due to their long history. At the end of the meeting with the National Radio and Television Organization delegation, Netanyahu told his country's media that there is no logical reason for the dissolution of this organization, as it has made sufficient reforms, consumes less budget, and the remaining staff are willing to accept lower salaries than they currently receive. Netanyahu stated, however, that the establishment of a new organization would impose a greater budget burden on the treasury. Nevertheless, many commercial media outlets in Israel, which oppose Netanyahu's political views, support his rival politicians. The Persian section of Israel Radio, which has been broadcasting to Iran for 59 years and for Persian speakers in Israel for 65 years, is one of the foreign languages in the National Radio and Television Organization. The widespread crisis of the National Radio and Television Organization, which in recent years has prevented the hiring of new staff, has severely impacted the Persian section, but now the survival of all Israeli radio and television is tied to the decisions or compromises of the politicians in the coalition cabinet of this country. Netanyahu has stated that upon returning from his official trip to China, the fate of the Finance Minister's rebellion, who calls for the dissolution of the National Organization, must be clarified, and Likud is not afraid of entering the early election arena. However, Reuven Rivlin, the President of Israel, stated on Monday that this crisis should be resolved without the need for early elections. Polls indicate that the small parties allied with Netanyahu's current government will weaken in the new elections.