High Court nixes Israel Broadcasting Authority ban on Geneva Accord, People's Voice
By Yuval Yoaz, Haaretz Correspondent
The High Court of Justice on Wednesday morning overturned a decision by the Israel Broadcasting Authority and the Second Broadcasting Authority to ban commercials promoting unofficial peace plans.
A three-justice panel headed by Supreme Court President Aharon Barak heard the petitions filed by the brokers of the People's Voice, an Israeli-Palestinian civil initiative established by Ami Ayalon and Sari Nusseibeh and aimed at promoting peace between the two sides, and the initiators of the Geneva Accords.
The legal battle had become a fight in principle to annul regulations pertaining to the broadcasting of advertisements dealing with political disputes.
The petition filed by the initiators of the Geneva Accords deals with the IBA's refusal to air commercials notifying the public of the start of a campaign to distribute copies of the agreement in mail boxes around the country.
Some 1.5 million copies of the Geneva Accords were sent out Sunday to addresses countrywide, with another 1.5 million copies to follow in the coming days.
The copy mailed to the home of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has yet to reach its destination, after the security guards outside the Prime Minister's Residence refused to accept the envelope delivered by Yossi Beilin and MKs Haim Oron (Meretz) and Yuli Tamir (Labor). Over the past few days, the Geneva Accords initiators have requested a meeting with Sharon, but have yet to receive a response.
Also Sunday, Beilin, Oron and Labor MKs Avraham Burg and Amram Mitzna presented the Geneva Accords at a meeting of the Kibbutz Movement's secretariat. A unanimous decision to adopt and support the agreement followed the meeting.
The Kibbutz Movement also called on its members at kibbutzim around the country to promote and help to drum up support for the Geneva Accords as an important alternative to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.