Gantz taps new interim commander of Army Radio, which he has vowed to close

Defense Minister Benny Gantz has picked Galit Altstein to take over as interim commander of Army Radio, which is due to either close or become privatized in the near future, his office says.

Altstein, who worked in the past at the station, is the chief news editor at the financial newspaper Calcalist.

“I found in Galit a true professional, who has the professional skills and the necessary ethical honesty to lead the outlet,” Gantz says.

After years of the Defense Ministry considering the move, last year Gantz announced that he would close Army Radio, a decision that was lauded by the military. The station, which employs soldiers and civilians, has long been considered anachronistic and has regularly been accused of being overtly political in the framework of a military that is meant to be nonpartisan.