Israeli gov’t approves Army Radio shutdown, chief vows to fight closure

Army Radio commander Tal Lev-Ram has said that he would fight the closure, which Defense Minister Israel Katz has pushed for, before the High Court of Justice.

The government on Sunday approved the closure of Army Radio (Galei Tzahal), effective March 1, 2026, after 75 years of broadcasting.

Army Radio commander Tal Lev-Ram, who previously served as the military correspondent for The Jerusalem Post’s sister newspaper Maariv, has said that he would fight the closure, which Defense Minister Israel Katz has pushed for, evidently with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s support, before the High Court of Justice.

Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara has said the move “raises concerns about political interference in public broadcasting and raises questions regarding the violation of freedom of expression and the press.”

The Israel Press Council, headed by former Supreme Court Justice Hanan Melcer, has called Katz’s decision to close Army Radio “illegitimate and illegal” and said the station can be closed only through legislation by the Knesset. He threatened to file for High Court intervention.

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel also vowed to petition the High Court and declared the defense minister’s decision a “continuation of the dangerous trend of systematically attacking the free press.”

The Union of Journalists in Israel said it would petition the High Court as well against the decision, calling it a “severe and unlawful infringement of freedom of expression and freedom of the press.”

The Union added that the decision was “unreasonable” and “disproportionate,” was “taken without authority,” and “strikes at the foundations of democracy and the rule of law.”

“Beyond the blatant attempt to dismantle public broadcasting in Israel, this decision is contrary to the law – the government has no authority to take any action regarding the station’s broadcasts. The matter lies solely within the responsibility of the Knesset,” it said.

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi recently succeeded in moving along a Knesset bill, which critics have cautioned will give the government much greater control over the media.

The NGO said that, “The claim that the station ‘harms morale’ is a pathetic excuse for a political maneuver whose purpose is to silence criticism. Government ministers must not be allowed to close media outlets based on political considerations.”

It is unclear how the High Court will rule, given the many legal issues in play and the unprecedented nature of Katz’s closure action.

Why does the government want Army Radio shut down?

In the past, the High Court has slowed governments’ attempts to completely eliminate Israel Radio but has allowed them to significantly transform the body, including mass firings and new hires, which led to the formation of KAN.

The defense minister’s decision is based on the recommendation of a professional committee, but critics have said that the committee was hand-picked to ensure Katz’s preconceived desired result.

The committee had described the very existence of a military radio station broadcasting to the general public as “a democratic anomaly that has no equal in the world,” and said its involvement in current affairs and news “harms the IDF’s status as the people’s army.”

Katz argued that the station’s original purpose – as a platform serving IDF soldiers and their families – has been overshadowed by political content that, in his view, undermines the army.

“As I have made clear, what was is not what will be. Army Radio was established by the Israeli government as a military station to serve as a mouthpiece and an ear for IDF soldiers and their families – and not as a platform for voicing opinions, many of which attack the IDF and the IDF soldiers themselves,” he has said.

The defense minister’s committee said it considered multiple alternatives, including transferring the station to another public body, privatization, or partial closure only of the section dealing with political coverage.

It recommended two options: either convert Army Radio into a “Soldiers’ Home” model, broadcasting only music and brief news flashes without current affairs or political content, or close the station entirely.

Katz has not explained why Army Radio could not be partially privatized or why the political coverage arm could not be eliminated, as many experts have suggested as compromise solutions to salvage one of the country’s premier media outlets, while severing it from being fully and directly linked to the IDF or from the political arena.

Multiple former defense ministers talked about closing the station when it is critical of them or their governments’ policies.

Katz is not the first to object to the strange model of having Army Radio, on one hand claim to be and often act as an independent media outlet, ready to criticize any party, including the IDF, but on the other hand, often acting as an arm of the IDF.

This is part of what has sometimes pitted it against government officials on both sides of the aisle.

Katz quoted selectively from past criticism of Army Radio by former IDF chiefs Gadi Eienskot, Aviv Kochavi, and Herzi Halevi, without noting that none of them have supported his solution of closing the media outlet outright at this time.

In fact, former defense ministers have always either backed off completely from trying to close Army Radio or navigated toward a compromise by changing some of the makeup of the top personnel to diversify the broadcasters or seeking other reforms, such as diversifying the programs themselves.

In the end, other defense ministers have decided that despite its idiosyncrasies, its general reputation as a valued member of the independent media was too great to wipe out entirely.

The Galgalatz the music and transportation station operated by the IDF is expected to continue operating in its current format.

Lev Ram said the station had learned of the move “with complete surprise,” adding that Army Radio had not even gotten to respond to the committee report or to try to address their criticisms.

He cited “numerous flaws” in the panel’s work, including conflicts of interest, the premeditated selection of members, and what he called manipulation of the facts. “A heavy shadow hangs over the committee’s work, which from the outset operated under the premise that ‘what was will no longer be,'” he said.

Katz said a professional team will be established within the Defense Ministry to oversee the implementation of the decision, ensuring civilian employees at the station can end their employment under proper arrangements while safeguarding their rights.

Army Radio has broadcast to the Israeli public for 75 years, serving as both a news outlet and a cultural presence for the military.

Katz issued two major directives following the government vote.

First, he directed the IDF Human Resources Command to cease recruiting for Army Radio and to start calibrating any individuals who had been on track for Army Radio to other tracks within the military.

Second, he directed IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir and Defense Ministry Director-General Amir Baram to begin the process of moving current army personnel at the outlet to other military roles, as well as to reach severance package deals with more than a dozen civilian Army Radio contractors.

Katz said that in order to be done by March 1, he wanted most of these processes to be concluded already by February 15.

Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.