After 75 years, Israel’s Army Radio to shut down

Defense Minister Katz argued that continuing the station’s operation drags the IDF into political discourse and harms its reputation as the people’s army.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

Defense Minister Yisrael Katz announced Wednesday that he will submit a proposal to the government to close the military radio station Galei Tzahal, a move that would suspend its broadcasts by March 1, 2026.

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.

In a statement, Katz emphasized 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. Galei Tzahal 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 said.

Katz argued that continuing the station’s operation drags the IDF into political discourse and harms its reputation as the people’s army.

“Operating a civilian radio station by the military is an anomaly that has no equal in any democratic country in the world,” he said.

“Over the past two years, throughout the war, many soldiers and civilians, including bereaved families, have complained that they feel the station does not represent them and is even harming the war effort and morale. Worse still, our enemies interpret these messages as being conveyed by the IDF.”

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

The decision follows the recommendations of a committee Katz established two weeks ago, after just 19 days of deliberations.

The committee 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.”

The committee considered several alternatives, including transferring the station to another public body, privatization, or partial closure.

It recommended two viable paths: either convert Galei Tzahal into a “Soldiers’ Home” model, broadcasting only music and brief news flashes without current affairs or political content, or close the station entirely and return its frequencies to the Ministry of Communications.

In contrast, the committee advised that Galgalatz, the music and transportation station operated by the IDF, should continue in its current format.

Legal concerns have already been raised regarding the closure.

Prime Minister’s Legal Advisor Gali Baharav-Miara said the move “raises concerns about political interference in public broadcasting and raises questions regarding the violation of freedom of expression and the press.”

Katz, however, insisted that government approval is the proper mechanism for the decision, noting that decades of past defense ministers and chiefs of staff had considered various options for the station but none had been implemented.

“I intend to bring the decision to close the station to the government soon,” Katz said. “This is the necessary step to preserve the state character of the IDF and strengthen public trust in it.”