Government: IDF Radio to Close by March

The government unanimously approved a proposal on Monday to shut down the Israel Defense Forces radio station Galei Tzahal by March 1, 2026, endorsing a plan advanced by Defense Minister Israel Katz that would end more than seven decades of military-run broadcasting.

The decision was taken during a cabinet meeting in which ministers argued that the station’s continued operation is incompatible with democratic norms and harmful to military cohesion. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed the move, saying that a military-operated radio station engaging in political and current affairs broadcasting is a situation that “exists perhaps in North Korea,” but not in a democratic state such as Israel.

Katz told ministers that Galei Tzahal represents an “anomaly” among democracies and has increasingly served as a platform for political content that, in his words, attacks the IDF and its soldiers. He argued that such broadcasts undermine unity within the military and that messages aired by a station formally under army authority are interpreted by Israel’s enemies as official IDF positions.

Several ministers cited the station’s weak legal foundations. According to participants in the meeting, Galei Tzahal was originally authorized in 1950 under a one-year provisional order, with no permanent legal framework subsequently enacted to regulate its continued operation. Ministers said this legal gap further justified the government’s authority to act.

Additional arguments were raised during the discussion. Religious Zionism minister Orit Strook criticized the station for operating on Shabbat and Jewish holidays under military orders, calling it the only IDF unit in which such activity occurs without a direct security justification. Minister Amichai Chikli accused the station of long-standing mismanagement, claiming it functioned as a springboard for media careers and was characterized by favoritism and ideological bias.

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi attacked the legal opinion opposing the move, alleging conflicts of interest and dismissing objections raised by the Attorney General’s Office.

Within hours of the decision, the Movement for Quality Government filed a petition with the High Court of Justice, arguing that the cabinet acted beyond its authority and that shutting down Galei Tzahal constitutes a major infringement on freedom of expression that requires primary legislation. The petition claims the decision is based on flawed factual grounds and improper considerations intended to benefit media outlets aligned with the government.

Katz said that a separate implementation team will examine the future of the music station Galgalatz, which does not broadcast news or political content, and oversee the orderly termination of employees in accordance with the law.

The decision follows the recommendations of an advisory committee appointed earlier this year, which presented two options: closing Galei Tzahal or ending its current affairs programming. The cabinet’s approval marks the most decisive step yet toward ending the station’s operations.