Petitioner seeking to shut Israel Hayom appeals to High Court

Attorney Shachar Ben-Meir, whose petition to the Central Elections Committee against Israel Hayom wasrejectedearlier this week, has appealed to the High Court of Justice.

In early February, Ben-Meir petitioned the committee for an injunction against the paper, arguing that its distribution constituted unsanctioned electioneering on behalf of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Likud party.

Central Elections Committee Chairman Justice Salim Joubran ruled that the petitioner had failed to present the committee with sufficient evidence indicating there was any direct financial or organizational link between Israel Hayom, the prime minister and the Likud Party.

During the hearing, the committee chairman said that he had firsthand knowledge of instances when the paper reported issues that did not reflect Netanyahu or the Likud's positions, such as a decision made last week to deny the Likud's petition against the activities of the Victory 15 campaign.

Joubran further quoted Channel 10 News reporter Raviv Drucker, a strong critic of the prime minister, who said that he himself had failed to adequately establish the alleged link between Israel Hayom and the Prime Minister's Office.

On Wednesday, Justice Zvi Zylbertal decided that Ben-Meir's appeal on Joubran's ruling would be discussed next week.