Shas Backs Karhi Media Bill

On 7 July 2026, the Shas party publicly announced it would support the Karhi media reform bill. The bill seeks sweeping changes to Israel’s broadcasting sector, a key element of the governing coalition’s legislative program.

The decision came after Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi sent a detailed message to Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, Shas’s spiritual leader. Rabbi Yosef responded with a letter to Shas chairman Arye Deri, urging the party’s lawmakers to back the coalition’s agenda. He emphasized that the media bill would only receive his backing if the coalition simultaneously advanced a series of haredi‑backed bills.

Among the haredi priorities are the Basic Law: Torah Study, which aims to enshrine Torah study as a fundamental value in Israel’s Basic Laws, and a proposal to temporarily freeze arrests of haredi draft evaders. Critics argue these measures encourage draft evasion and could undermine the Israeli Defence Forces, which are facing a severe manpower shortage after years of war.

Rabbi Yosef’s letter warned there was “no room for delay” on the Torah Study Law and stressed that any risk to its passage was unacceptable. He framed the media reform as a bargaining chip, stating that the coalition should not advance the broadcasting changes without first securing the haredi legislative agenda.

The coalition, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has been accelerating its legislative push ahead of the Knesset’s final week of the summer session. Lawmakers aim to pass as many bills as possible before the Knesset goes into recess and before the upcoming elections, hoping to lock in key policies.

Stakeholders on both sides have voiced concerns. The High Court of Justice has ordered the state to take concrete steps to revoke financial benefits for draft evaders and to move toward criminal enforcement. Meanwhile, the IDF’s Chief of Staff has warned that the force could collapse without additional manpower.

Shas’s support for the media bill, following the spiritual leader’s directive, highlights the intricate negotiations within Israel’s coalition government, where religious parties leverage their votes to shape national policy on education, security, and media regulation.