Defense minister says broadcasts will cease by March; IDF-controlled station chief says plan to shut it down is based on flawed committee report
Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Wednesday that he intends to shut down the Army Radio station, ordering broadcasts to cease by March 1, 2026, and saying he will soon bring the proposal to the government for approval.
Katz is not the first defense minister to push for the closure of the station. Successive governments, defense ministers, and chiefs of the Israel Defense Forces have for years announced their intentions to remove the broadcaster from under military control and transfer it to civilian oversight, or close it altogether.
In his announcement, Katz said he would form a professional team within the Defense Ministry to oversee the station’s closure, assist civilian employees with fair termination arrangements, and preserve its civilian sister station Galgalatz, which focuses on music and road safety awareness.
Calling the operation of a civilian-style broadcaster by the military “an anomaly unheard of in any democratic country in the world,” Katz said the move was necessary to protect the IDF’s nonpartisan status.
“What was will be no longer,” he declared. “Army Radio was established by the Israeli government as a military station to serve as a voice and ear for IDF soldiers and their families — not as a platform for opinions, many of which attack the IDF and its soldiers.”
“In recent years, particularly during the war, many soldiers and civilians — including bereaved families — have repeatedly complained that the station does not represent them and even harms the war effort and morale,” Katz added. “Worse still, our enemies interpret these messages as if they are being conveyed by the IDF itself.”
The decision to close the station is likely to be challenged in court.
Army Radio head Tal Lev Ram said in response to Katz’s announcement that he would work to fight the decision to shut down the IDF-controlled station.
“We received the defense minister’s announcement with complete surprise, without being given the opportunity to respond to the report submitted by the committee appointed by the minister,” Lev Ram said in a statement, referring to a report submitted to Katz last month that recommended closing the station.
“This comes after numerous flaws were found in the committee’s work, including conflicts of interest, a premeditated and biased selection of its members, and multiple manipulations in the presentation of the information submitted,” he charged.
Lev Ram said that “the decision to close the station after two years of unprecedented activity for the benefit of the servicemembers is puzzling and proves that this was not a professional process that puts the soldiers’ needs first.”
“We view this as a real, unfortunate, and dramatic blow to the people’s army, Israeli society, and the freedom of the press in a democratic state,” he said.
“I intend to fight this harsh decision by all possible means. I am proud of the station’s work, especially over the past two years during an ongoing war, and I am convinced that the station will continue to exist for many years to come,” Lev Ram said, adding that “we will not allow the soldiers’ home to be closed.”
The Israel Press Council, a representative body for major Israeli media outlets headed by retired Supreme Court Justice Hanan Melcer, described Katz’s decision to close Army Radio as “illegitimate and illegal” and said the station can be closed only through a Knesset move.
“The status of Army Radio is anchored in primary legislation, and only legislation can change the status of the station,” said the organization, of which Army Radio is a member.
“The Israel Press Council will act in every way to prevent the closure of the station, and protect freedom of the press, the diversity of the media and the right of the public to know,” it said.
The Movement for Quality Government in Israel called Katz’s decision “the continuation of the attack on free press.” Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi recently proposed legislation that critics have also warned would threaten freedom of the press.
“The claim that the station ‘harms morale’ is a dismal excuse for a political move aimed at silencing critical voices. Government ministers must not be allowed to close media outlets based on political considerations,” said the organization.
The Union of Journalists in Israel also said that it would work to overturn Katz’s decision.
“Israel Katz will not close any media outlet in the State of Israel. The journalists’ union will fight against this bad decision until it is canceled. Army Radio will not be closed,” a statement read.
Army Radio — one of the most listened-to news stations in the country — is staffed by a mix of young soldiers and seasoned civilian journalists.
The military’s operation and funding of a radio station with journalists responsible for investigating the IDF, as well as politicians, has long been criticized as anachronistic, expensive, and an ethical minefield.
The station’s position as a media outlet has therefore always been an uneasy one, functioning simultaneously, and sometimes discordantly, as an independent news organization that seeks to critique the government as well as an arm of the military dedicated to covering the troops and furthering the narrative of the army as an area of national consensus.
In September 2023, then-defense minister Yoav Gallant reversed earlier plans by his predecessor Benny Gantz to privatize or shut down the station, instead pledging reforms and the appointment of a permanent commander with a military background.
The reforms included reducing the number of soldiers involved in political coverage while increasing the number of those involved in covering military and social matters.
As reported by The Times of Israel