MK Ilan Gilon fails in bid to save IBA from closure
A special Knesset Committee headed by Yesh Atid MK Keren Elharrar discussed the issue in depth, and in principle accepted the recommendations of the Landes committee with certain amendments.
By GREER FAY CASHMANUpdated: MARCH 14, 2016 01:20IBA logo(photo credit: COURTESY OF IBA)
Meretz MK Ilan Gilon failed in his bid to save the Israel Broadcasting Authority from closure and restore the situation that was in place two governments ago.The Ministerial Committee on Legislation voted down Gilon’s proposal on Sunday that – in view of the failure to set up a successor to the IBA on schedule – the law to replace the public broadcaster be scrapped.According to the Public Broadcasting Law (2014) initiated by Public Security minister Gilad Erdan when he was communications minister, the IBA, which is in the process of being dismantled, is due to close on March 31.An IBA representative told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday that the broadcaster was still waiting to hear from the Communications Ministry as to whether the IBA will receive a mandate to continue its operations until the new public broadcasting entity to be known as the Israel Broadcasting Corporation becomes operational, or whether there will be no public broadcasting after March 31.There has been widespread speculation that the IBA will be given an additional year of grace. But today, only two weeks before the ax is due to fall, no one knows what will happen.Although large numbers of IBA staff took early retirement during the past year, nothing by way of severance pay or future employment has been settled with remaining staff.
