After pirate radio stations interfered with operations at Ben-Gurion International Airport three times in June and July, Israeli Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz announced plans for an effort to keep unlicensed operators off the airwaves.
According to an article in The Jerusalem Post, Mofaz said after a meeting of the Interministerial Committee for Addressing the Phenomenon of Pirate Radio Stations the official had devised “a plan to wipe out the infrastructure of what he called ‘aerial terror.'”
The interministerial committee includes representatives from the Ministry of Transport and Road Safety, the Ministry of Justice, the Israeli Airports Authority and the Israel Police Investigations and Intelligence Division.
To help end pirate broadcasting, the government aims to coordinate efforts on a national level, including tightening laws against supporting such broadcasts. Under the proposal, funders, advertisers, broadcasters, managers and others supporting illegal stations in any way would face sanctions.
The Israeli Defense Forces and other security organizations would also be asked to help track down and identify unlicensed transmitters. Unlicensed radio stations operate across Israel and the West Bank.
The plan must be approved by the government.
