The Justice Ministry's legal adviser ruled that the government cannot alter the Shabbat settings or the 'pornography issue' in the government app, a setback for Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi and ultra-Orthodox politicians, according to Daphna Liel (N12).
The ruling, reported Monday morning by N12's Daphna Liel, blocks the Communications Ministry from altering the app's Shabbat functionality and content filters related to pornography — two changes Minister Shlomo Karhi and coalition ultra-Orthodox parties had pushed for as part of the broader media-reform bill. The Justice Ministry's legal adviser determined that such modifications can no longer be made, effectively halting a central plank of Karhi's push to weaken the mainstream media via the government app. This is a significant political blow to Karhi and his coalition allies, who argued the changes were necessary to 'protect the public' and reduce the power of the press. The ruling's timing — as the Knesset advances the media-reform package — intensifies the public and legal battle over the bill, which critics say threatens pluralism and free expression.
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