Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s March 3 speech to a joint session of Congress will be broadcast in Israel on a five-minute delay.

The delay ordered Feb. 16 by Israel’s Central Election Committee Chairman Justice Salim Joubran will allow news editors to remove anything related to the March 17 national elections, set to occur two weeks after the speech.

A petition filed by the left-wing Meretz party had asked the committee to prevent media outlets from broadcasting the speech, saying it was illegal campaigning.

Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein ruled last week that the speech could be broadcast in Israel without violating election propaganda laws because it is newsworthy and a current event. — jta