Cabinet Secretary Denies Defying High Court in Regulator Fight

Just after 8:20 p.m. IDT, Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs clarified the government statement on the Second Authority media regulator. Fuchs said the government had not called for defying the High Court, but issued sharp criticism of a ruling he said contradicts explicit law. He said the government would use all legal tools to try to overturn the decision in the future. The clarification followed a fast-moving dispute over whether the statement crossed into noncompliance. Israel needs this fight kept inside lawful institutions, with respect for court authority, elected government responsibility and stable media regulation before elections.