Opposition parties lambaste coalition’s ‘Erdogan’-style media overhaul legislation

Opposition leaders denounce the coalition’s media overhaul legislation that was passed into law this evening, accusing the government of trying to take control over the media to ensure success in the upcoming elections.

“In a democratic country, it is forbidden to silence the free press,” says Naftali Bennett, head of the Together party.

“In its final days, the government is passing absurd and dangerous laws whose sole purpose is to preserve its own political survival,” says Bennett, and vows to overturn this and other laws passed this week if elected.

Democrats party chairman Yair Golan says similarly that a potential government formed by the current opposition will repeal the law and eliminate “government propaganda channels that routinely report fake news.”

The Yisrael Beytenu party accuses the government of turning Israel into a country “modeled on [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan’s Turkey,” where press freedom and the independence of the judiciary have largely been neutered by the government.

“After trying to take over the judicial system, the government responsible for the October 7 massacre now wants to take over the media as well. Instead of a free press, they want a media made up of government mouthpieces and court reporters. In the next government, we will repeal this law as well,” the party says.