AG to High Court: Deny petition to air names of Gaza victims on radio

Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein advised the High Court of Justice on Monday to deny a petition filed by human rights group B'Tselem against the Israel Broadcasting Authority, after the latter refused to air a radio broadcast listing the names of the Palestinian children killed in Operation Protective Edge in the Gaza Strip.

The IBA refused to air the broadcast saying it implied that Israel "was solely responsible for the children's deaths, which is a politically and ideologically controversial issue."

B'Tselem initially appealed the decision, made by IBA CEO Yoni Ben-Menachem, before IBA Chairman Amir Gilat, arguing that the radio spot would present only indisputable facts, but Gilat refused to air the broadcast as well, prompting the group to file a petition on the matter with the High Court of Justice.

In its position paper, the Attorney-General's Office backed the IBA's decision, saying that the B'Tselem broadcast was "not a factual broadcast devoid of political context," and citing the IBA's responsibility to ensure politically balanced programming.

"We believe that [this broadcast] does not seek to simply present the facts, but that it also includes [B'Tselem's] opinions about the operation, its implications, the media coverage it has garnered, and the public discourse it has generated," the brief said. "Therefore, it cannot be detached from the greater political context.

"Commercials are not the appropriate stage for items simulating news broadcasts, simply because their sponsors believe [the information] should have been included in regular news broadcasts, and therefore seek to air it, as paid advertisements, to allegedly balance the media coverage," the brief said.