by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Israel’s High Court of Justice has unanimously overturned the government’s decision to close the influential Army Radio after 75 years, ruling that ministers acted at least partly on “improper and invalid” political considerations because they objected to the station’s broadcasts.
The ruling kept Army Radio on the air. Known in Israel as Galei Tzahal or by its Hebrew acronym Galatz, the state-funded national radio network is operated by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Although formally a military unit and staffed by soldiers as well as civilians, it broadcasts news, interviews and current affairs to the wider Israeli public and has become one of the country’s most influential media institutions.
That unusual arrangement lies at the heart of the controversy. Government supporters argue that a democratic country’s military should not operate a civilian news organization covering politicians and contentious public issues, while opponents say Army Radio’s independent journalism has become an important part of Israel’s media culture.
“It cannot be that someone in a position of power will decide that because they don’t like what a broadcaster is saying, that microphone should be ‘turned off,’” Justice Yechiel Kasher wrote.
COURT CITES POLITICAL MOTIVES
“Such governance is unequivocally undemocratic,” Kasher added, saying those in power cannot use their authority to silence voices with which they disagree.
The government unanimously approved Army Radio’s closure in December 2025, with broadcasts originally due to end March 1. The shutdown was suspended after the High Court agreed to hear petitions challenging the decision.
However, all three justices concluded that the government has the authority in principle to close Army Radio without passing new legislation. They did not rule that the station must remain permanently on air.
Instead, the court distinguished between closing the station because the military should not operate a national current-affairs broadcaster—which Kasher said could be legitimate—and shutting it because ministers object to its political coverage or criticism.
‘DE FACTO CENSORSHIP’
The government argued that Army Radio risks drawing the military into political disputes and places conscript soldiers in the unusual position of reporting on controversial political issues.
But the justices concluded that the government failed to demonstrate that those concerns actually drove the December decision.
They pointed particularly to a March 2025 letter in which Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi urged Defense Minister Israel Katz to close Army Radio as part of what he called their shared “right-wing liberal agenda” and characterized the broadcaster as a political stronghold.
Justice Dafna Barak-Erez said closing a public broadcaster because those in power perceive it as supporting another political position amounted to “de facto censorship.”
GOVERNMENT CRITICIZES RULING
The judges also questioned the government’s handling of the case, including its failure to provide the complete minutes of the December cabinet meeting when challenged over the motives behind the closure.
Katz criticized the judgment, saying the High Court had placed its views above those of elected ministers who unanimously believed there was “no place for a civilian radio station with political content within the IDF.”
Yet he noted that the judges confirmed the government’s authority to close the station in principle and suggested another attempt could follow if his political camp receives a new electoral mandate.
Karhi also condemned the ruling, accusing the court of encroaching on the authority of elected officials amid Israel’s wider confrontation over the balance of power between the judiciary, government and parliament.
DECADES OF INFLUENCE
Army Radio began broadcasting in 1950, just two years after Israel’s establishment, with roots in radio operations associated with the pre-state Jewish Haganah organization.
Initially aimed largely at soldiers, it developed into a nationwide broadcaster. During the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Army Radio became Israel’s first radio service to broadcast around the clock as Israelis urgently sought information about the fighting.
It also became an important training ground for Israeli journalism, with young conscripts working as reporters, producers and presenters before many moved into leading positions in civilian media. Estimates cited in court proceedings have put its daily audience at close to one million listeners.
Army Radio is especially prominent during wars and national emergencies, when Israelis seek rapidly changing information about missile and drone attacks, military operations, casualties, hostages and security warnings.
REGIONAL INFLUENCE
Despite being part of the military, Army Radio is not its official mouthpiece. Formal military announcements are issued separately by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, while Army Radio operates as a journalistic broadcaster whose reporters can question politicians, military officials and government policies.
Its military and security reporting is also closely followed by Israeli and international media, particularly during conflicts involving Gaza, Lebanon, Iran and other regional flashpoints.
Sensitive security reporting in Israel can be subject to military censorship, but Army Radio’s proximity to the defense establishment has made it an influential part of the information environment surrounding Israel’s wars.
Its sister station Galgalatz has separately become influential in Israeli popular music while also broadcasting traffic and public information.
FUTURE REMAINS UNCERTAIN
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara opposed the closure before the cabinet vote, raising concerns that objections to Army Radio’s coverage had improperly influenced the process.
An advisory committee established by Katz considered either removing the station’s news and current-affairs programming or closing Army Radio while allowing Galgalatz to continue. Katz chose closure.
The High Court has now drawn a line between the government’s right to reconsider whether the military should operate a civilian broadcaster and using that authority because ministers object to its journalism.
For now, Army Radio’s microphones remain on. But because the judges explicitly confirmed that the government can reconsider the station’s existence through a process based on legitimate considerations, the battle over one of Israel’s most distinctive media institutions may not be over.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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Israel’s High Court Blocks Army Radio Closure, Citing ‘Improper’ Motives
by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Israel’s High Court of Justice has unanimously overturned the government’s decision to close the influential Army Radio after 75 years, ruling that ministers acted at least partly on “improper and invalid” political considerations because they objected to the station’s broadcasts.
The ruling kept Army Radio on the air. Known in Israel as Galei Tzahal or by its Hebrew acronym Galatz, the state-funded national radio network is operated by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Although formally a military unit and staffed by soldiers as well as civilians, it broadcasts news, interviews and current affairs to the wider Israeli public and has become one of the country’s most influential media institutions.
That unusual arrangement lies at the heart of the controversy. Government supporters argue that a democratic country’s military should not operate a civilian news organization covering politicians and contentious public issues, while opponents say Army Radio’s independent journalism has become an important part of Israel’s media culture.
“It cannot be that someone in a position of power will decide that because they don’t like what a broadcaster is saying, that microphone should be ‘turned off,’” Justice Yechiel Kasher wrote.
COURT CITES POLITICAL MOTIVES
“Such governance is unequivocally undemocratic,” Kasher added, saying those in power cannot use their authority to silence voices with which they disagree.
The government unanimously approved Army Radio’s closure in December 2025, with broadcasts originally due to end March 1. The shutdown was suspended after the High Court agreed to hear petitions challenging the decision.
However, all three justices concluded that the government has the authority in principle to close Army Radio without passing new legislation. They did not rule that the station must remain permanently on air.
Instead, the court distinguished between closing the station because the military should not operate a national current-affairs broadcaster—which Kasher said could be legitimate—and shutting it because ministers object to its political coverage or criticism.
‘DE FACTO CENSORSHIP’
The government argued that Army Radio risks drawing the military into political disputes and places conscript soldiers in the unusual position of reporting on controversial political issues.
But the justices concluded that the government failed to demonstrate that those concerns actually drove the December decision.
They pointed particularly to a March 2025 letter in which Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi urged Defense Minister Israel Katz to close Army Radio as part of what he called their shared “right-wing liberal agenda” and characterized the broadcaster as a political stronghold.
Justice Dafna Barak-Erez said closing a public broadcaster because those in power perceive it as supporting another political position amounted to “de facto censorship.”
GOVERNMENT CRITICIZES RULING
The judges also questioned the government’s handling of the case, including its failure to provide the complete minutes of the December cabinet meeting when challenged over the motives behind the closure.
Katz criticized the judgment, saying the High Court had placed its views above those of elected ministers who unanimously believed there was “no place for a civilian radio station with political content within the IDF.”
Yet he noted that the judges confirmed the government’s authority to close the station in principle and suggested another attempt could follow if his political camp receives a new electoral mandate.
Karhi also condemned the ruling, accusing the court of encroaching on the authority of elected officials amid Israel’s wider confrontation over the balance of power between the judiciary, government and parliament.
DECADES OF INFLUENCE
Army Radio began broadcasting in 1950, just two years after Israel’s establishment, with roots in radio operations associated with the pre-state Jewish Haganah organization.
Initially aimed largely at soldiers, it developed into a nationwide broadcaster. During the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Army Radio became Israel’s first radio service to broadcast around the clock as Israelis urgently sought information about the fighting.
It also became an important training ground for Israeli journalism, with young conscripts working as reporters, producers and presenters before many moved into leading positions in civilian media. Estimates cited in court proceedings have put its daily audience at close to one million listeners.
Army Radio is especially prominent during wars and national emergencies, when Israelis seek rapidly changing information about missile and drone attacks, military operations, casualties, hostages and security warnings.
REGIONAL INFLUENCE
Despite being part of the military, Army Radio is not its official mouthpiece. Formal military announcements are issued separately by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, while Army Radio operates as a journalistic broadcaster whose reporters can question politicians, military officials and government policies.
Its military and security reporting is also closely followed by Israeli and international media, particularly during conflicts involving Gaza, Lebanon, Iran and other regional flashpoints.
Sensitive security reporting in Israel can be subject to military censorship, but Army Radio’s proximity to the defense establishment has made it an influential part of the information environment surrounding Israel’s wars.
Its sister station Galgalatz has separately become influential in Israeli popular music while also broadcasting traffic and public information.
FUTURE REMAINS UNCERTAIN
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara opposed the closure before the cabinet vote, raising concerns that objections to Army Radio’s coverage had improperly influenced the process.
An advisory committee established by Katz considered either removing the station’s news and current-affairs programming or closing Army Radio while allowing Galgalatz to continue. Katz chose closure.
The High Court has now drawn a line between the government’s right to reconsider whether the military should operate a civilian broadcaster and using that authority because ministers object to its journalism.
For now, Army Radio’s microphones remain on. But because the judges explicitly confirmed that the government can reconsider the station’s existence through a process based on legitimate considerations, the battle over one of Israel’s most distinctive media institutions may not be over.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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