Government is working to close the IDF-run station

Army Radio staff claims civilian jobs frozen; Defense Ministry issues denial

Employees say ministry gave order to terminate contracts by Jan. 1, effectively dismantling station; ministry says contracts will be extended to Feb. 28, in line with cabinet vote

Army Radio employees said Wednesday that dozens of civilian radio show hosts at the IDF-run broadcaster and its sister music station Galgalatz were informed their employment would be frozen “as early as next week,” prompting a denial by the Defense Ministry.

The dispute comes two days after the cabinet unanimously approved Defense Minister Israel Katz’s controversial proposal to shut down Army Radio, with broadcasts set to end by March 1.

In a statement circulated by staff, the radio show hosts said the freezing of their employment amounted to the de facto dismantling of the station within days, as regular programming is not possible without them.

The Defense Ministry, however, denied the reports, saying it has issued no directive to terminate the employment of civilian workers at Army Radio. In a statement, the ministry said it is engaged in its routine annual process of extending contracts that expire at the end of December.

According to the ministry, the contracts will be extended through February 28, 2026 – the date set for the station’s closure.

Despite the denial, Channel 12 reported that a request for an interim injunction submitted to the High Court of Justice by the Army Radio workers committee includes a sworn affidavit from an employee at the station who says they did receive the directive.

According to the affidavit, the employee received a call telling them that “the Defense Ministry’s legal counsel gave an order to stop all communications with the consultants who are in the hiring process” starting January 1.

In a statement, the workers’ union said it “stands by the request for an interim injunction in light of the full range of steps that the defense minister has taken, which are already harming the functioning of Army Radio.”

Responding to the request, Supreme Court President Isaac Amit ruled Wednesday that in light of the employees’ claims, the state’s response to the request for an injunction must be submitted within four days.

Following the vote earlier this week, Katz ordered the IDF to immediately begin winding down the station’s operations, including halting recruitment and selection, stopping the assignment of conscripted and reserve soldiers to the unit, and beginning preparations to reassign soldiers currently serving there to other IDF roles.

Katz also instructed Defense Ministry Director General Amir Baram to assist civilian employees at the station and terminate their employment in accordance with the law, while canceling contracts with civilian journalists and ending the station’s use of its facilities.

Katz announced the pending closure of the station in November, saying the decision followed repeated complaints from soldiers and civilians, including bereaved families, who argued that the station does not represent them and, at times, has harmed morale and the war effort.

According to a draft government decision written by Katz and published last week, Army Radio’s extensive political and news coverage inevitably draws the IDF into contentious public and political disputes, undermining its political neutrality and internal cohesion, and creating an inherent conflict in which a military unit reports on and criticizes the military itself.

Speaking at Monday’s cabinet meeting, during which ministers voted to shut down the station, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the existence of a military-run broadcaster was highly unusual in democracies, remarking that “a military station broadcasting under the authority of the army… exists in North Korea and maybe a few other countries, and we certainly do not want to be counted among them.”

The vote was met with backlash from Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who said the cabinet resolution suffered from multiple substantive flaws, including a failure to consider the impact on press freedom, and was therefore unlawful.

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid also criticized the move ahead of the vote, saying shuttering Army Radio was “part of the government’s move to abolish freedom of expression in Israel in an election year.”

“They are unable to control reality, so they are trying to control consciousness. First Reshet Bet and Channel 11, now Army Radio; soon Channels 12 and 13 as well,” Lapid said, referencing coalition-backed legislation to give the government significant control over broadcast media and shutter the Kan public broadcaster.

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel filed a petition with the High Court of Justice against the government’s resolution shortly after the vote was passed. The liberal government watchdog group argued that the decision was made based on “ulterior motives” and on an erroneous factual basis, and in a manner likely to harm freedom of expression and the press.

The petition included a request for an interim order freezing the implementation of the cabinet resolution until the High Court rules on the issue.