Army Radio chief says Katz’s plan to shut station based on flawed committee report

Army Radio head Tal Lev Ram says he will work to fight Defense Minister Israel Katz’s decision to shut down the IDF-controlled station.

“We received the defense minister’s announcement with complete surprise, without being given the opportunity to respond to the report submitted by the committee appointed by the minister,” Lev Ram says in a statement, referring to a report submitted to Katz last month that recommended closing the station.

“This comes after numerous flaws were found in the committee’s work, including conflicts of interest, a premeditated and biased selection of its members, and multiple manipulations in the presentation of the information submitted,” he says.

Lev Ram says that “the decision to close the station after two years of unprecedented activity for the benefit of the servicemembers is puzzling and proves that this was not a professional process that puts the soldiers’ needs first.”

“We view this as a real, unfortunate, and dramatic blow to the people’s army, Israeli society, and the freedom of the press in a democratic state,” he says.

“I intend to fight this harsh decision by all possible means. I am proud of the station’s work, especially over the past two years during an ongoing war, and I am convinced that the station will continue to exist for many years to come,” Lev Ram says, adding that “we will not allow the soldiers’ home to be closed.”