Army Radio: What is the pillar of Israeli journalism that Katz wants to shut down? - explainer

Over the years, the broadcaster has weathered numerous attempts to shut it down, but it seems the fight may have come to an end at last, with Army Radio set to end its operations on March 1, 2026.

But what is Army Radio, why is it so important, and what is behind the move to shut it down?

Here is everything you need to know.

Also known as Galei Tzahal or Galatz, Army Radio is nearly as old as the state itself.

It began broadcasting in 1950 as a continuation of the Hagana's broadcasts.

Said pre-state broadcasts were an important tool in the Hagana's arsenal, enabling it to reach the wider Jewish public.

Army Radio continued in roughly the same way, albeit with content originally selected for soldiers, and all content meant for the public needed to receive approval from the Israel Broadcasting Authority.

1973 proved to be a landmark for the station's operations. While originally limited to certain hours, the Yom Kippur war saw Army Radio transform into Israel's first 24-hour radio station, broadcasting around the clock. Over the years, it would evolve into a proper news outlet, which later led to it hosting high-profile interviews and to a more relaxed linguistic shift in Hebrew as it adopted a more colloquial style. In addition, it also hosted entertainment programs, talk shows, poetry readings, and much more.

This also led to Army Radio, under the stewardship of Mordechai Naor from 1974 to 1978, to push for greater independence and change. It was at this time that Army Radio began to broadcast to everyone in Israel and included better current affairs programming. It launched a series called Broadcast University, which featured academic lectures later published as books, as well as a hotline for the public to send news tips.

What was also notable about the outlet was its use of regular IDF soldiers in its operations, with enlisted men and women serving as reporters, editors, and more.

Despite being firmly under IDF control, Army Radio has gained widespread praise for its news coverage, being regarded as a nonpartisan outlet with reliable, balanced reporting – a reputation that has largely endured to this day.

In the 1990s, Army Radio spun off a more music-centric station, known as Galgalatz. In addition to also posting traffic reports, Galgalatz is most famous for being the epicenter of Israeli pop music, where it is among the most influential channels.

For decades, Army Radio has been considered a pillar of Israeli journalism and has been an important source of information and public discourse.

Its broadcasts over the years have helped thousands, if not millions, of Israelis stay informed about the goings-on in the country, and Galgalatz has been crucial to the growth of Israel's music scene.

The station has also been an incubator for many of Israel's most prominent journalists and media personalities, who got their start at Army Radio during their military service. This includes journalists such as Oded Ben-Ami, Yonit Levy, Sivan Rahav-Meir, Geula Even-Sa'ar, Daphna Liel, and Yair Cherki.

Several prominent politicians have also served with Army Radio, including Meirav Cohen, Merav Michaeli, Nachman Shai, and Nitzan Horowitz.

Such an influential outlet has not been free of the stain of accusations and discontentment over the years.

Many have cast doubt on the station's supposed impartiality, claiming it possesses a center-left bias.

Some of these claims have come from active-duty soldiers, who claimed that Army Radio is biased against the IDF itself.

One claim in this regard was the playing of music on Galgalatz by musicians who dodged the draft rather than serve in the IDF, as well as having musician Aviv Geffen, who dodged the draft, on one of their regular programs.

That same year, Bardugo was also accused of broadcasting repeated attacks on then-attorney-general Avichai Mandelblit, who had indicted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on corruption charges.

Further arguments state that ordinary soldiers should not be interviewing politicians and that the station should deal exclusively with the military.

Others point out that, as noted in multiple State Comptroller Reports, it doesn't make sense for the military to run a radio station with military funding that doesn't contribute to the IDF in any way.

Army Radio has been the target of numerous attempts by government and military officials to shut it down.

One of the first of these was in 1983, when then-chief of staff Moshe Levy tried to slash the station's budget and staff, as well as end news broadcasts, but this ultimately failed.

In 1990, chief of staff Ehud Barak tried shutting the station and having its operations shifted over to the Education Ministry rather than the IDF, though this failed due to public pressure.

The next major push to shut down the station came in 2020, after alternate prime minister Benny Gantz – himself a former IDF chief of staff – pushed for the station to be closed, claiming it was inappropriate for soldiers to be interviewing politicians as their job.

In 2021, Gantz, now the defense minister, renewed his push to shut down Army Radio, or at least turn it into something else, such as a private station or one under the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation. However, Mandelblit shut it down, ruling that the defense minister lacked the legal authority to do so and that only a law passed by the Knesset could.

Finally, in 2025, Defense Minister Israel Katz renewed the push to shut down the station.

This decision, which would need to be approved by the government, was made following the conclusions of an advisory committee Katz set up for this subject.

In its recommendation, the committee suggested the station be rebranded in a way that could preserve its unique identity as “the soldiers’ house” by maintaining its programming for IDF soldiers without engaging in current affairs content.

This would include the closure of the news department, but the station would still be permitted to broadcast any news flashes produced by KAN, Israel’s public broadcasting corporation.

This effort followed a push by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, who proposed to Katz shutting down the station, as well as statements against Army Radio made by Netanyahu.

Ultimately, Katz's decision to move to shut down the station was rooted in the claims that it has become an unnecessary platform.

“As I have made clear, what was is not what will be. Army Radio 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.”

Galgalatz, however, will not be affected by this decision.

Regardless, Katz's move has sparked backlash from journalists and jurists.

This also comes as a push led by Karhi is underway to severely undermine or shut down the Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation.