Adalah Calls for Live Broadcasts of the Or Commission Hearings

On 17 April 2001, Adalah wrote a letter to Mr.Yosif Barel, the manager of Channel 33, requesting that the station air live broadcasts of the Or Commission hearings.  Adalah maintains that the broadcasts are necessary because of the public significance of the issues brought forth through the Commission.

The hall in which the hearings are held has been prepared for live broadcasting. However, despite the considerable public attention which the Commission has received from both the Arab and Jewish sectors, none of the sessions have been broadcast.  The Or Commission is the first official Commission of Inquiry in Israel’s history which addresses the relationship between Israel and its Arab minority.  Because of the unique historical nature of this Commission, its hearings should be broadcast live to expose the Israeli public to the critical issues raised during the sessions.

Adalah also asserted that Channel 33 as a channel owned and run by the state has an added responsibility to air live broadcasts of the hearings.  As a public outlet, Channel 33 is subject to public law, which includes freedom of speech and the freedom of access to information.  It was based on these principles that the hearings of the 1994 Commission regarding Baruch Goldstien’s massacre in Hebron were broadcasted live.

Mr. Barel responded on 24 April that live broadcasting of the hearings is not possible due to the expense and the station’s full broadcast schedule.