High Court Strikes Down Government Decision to Shut Down Army Radio
A three-judge High Court panel on Thursday unanimously overturned the government’s decision to shut down the Army Radio station, ...
Jerusalem, 20 August, 2026 (TPS-IL) — A three-judge High Court panel on Thursday unanimously overturned the government’s decision to shut down the Army Radio station, Galatz.
The ruling followed petitions filed by the Movement for Quality Government, the Academy for a Democratic Israel, the Journalists’ Organization, the Press Council, and the Galatz employees’ committee together with the Histadrut labor federation.
Justice Yechiel Kasher, who authored the ruling, rejected arguments that the government lacked authority to close the station. Because Galatz was established in 1950 by a Government Decision rather than by law, he ruled, the government has the fundamental authority to order its closure.
However, the court found that statements by Defense Minister Israel Katz and Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi indicated they had reached a predetermined position before the professional review was completed, with dissatisfaction over the station’s content playing a central role.
The court distinguished between a legitimate decision to close a military station because the IDF should not engage in current affairs and politics, and closing it because its broadcasts do not reflect the views of political decision-makers. Critics on the right have long accused Galatz of anti-government bias and neglecting soldiers’ communications needs.