by Ezra HaLevi, GREAT NEWS
(IsraelNN.com) IDF Central Commander Maj.-Gen. Gadi Shamni has paved the way for a Jewish radio station based in Judea and Samaria to return to the airwaves.
Judea and Samaria have never had an authorized Jewish radio station, forcing Arutz-7 to broadcast from international waters for years before finally shutting down in 2003 due to legal harassment – even after a Knesset bill calling for its authorization.
With Shamni’s authorization, the new radio station could be approved for the airwaves within three months.
The Second Broadcast Authority Law and the Local Authorities Guidelines have enabled for a long time already the establishment of a Judea and Samaria regional radio station. Other regions in Israel have had localized stations for seventeen years. Three signatures were required for a tender to be issued for such a station. Those of: Communications Minister Ariel Attias (Shas), Second Broadcast Authority Chairperson Nurit Dabush and IDF Central Commander Shamni.
The process had been frozen ever since then-Communications Minister Ehud Olmert announced it had begun in February, 2006. Only recently did Minister Attias begin pressuring the other two to sign their names.
Within two weeks, the tender for the new station is expected to be published – allowing 45 days for proposals to be submitted. The Second Broadcast Authority says it is seeking proposals that can prove economic stability, proposed programming, the support of spiritual leaders and guidelines for proper language use.
After proposals are submitted, they will be considered by a committee of experts for another month – who will issue a recommendation, after which the winner will be chosen. Broadcasts are expected to begin in October of this year.
