Ministers fume at High Court ruling, vow to keep trying to shut Army Radio

Responding to the High Court of Justice ruling striking down the government decision to shutter Army Radio, Defense Minister Israel Katz slams the court for “placing its own judgment above that of the elected government ministers, who unanimously believed that there is no place for a civilian radio station with political content within the military.”

The defense minister vows that the government will tackle the issue of closing down the station once again “when we win” following the upcoming national election.

Other coalition figures — in particular those who have led efforts to curb the High Court’s powers to overturn government decisions — also react with outrage to the decision.

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi calls on the government to simply ignore the ruling and instead “instruct the defense minister to implement its decision immediately” to shut down Army Radio.

And National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir accuses the High Court of “carrying out a coup against democracy and stripping a democratically elected government of its lawful powers.”

Ben Gvir says that his Otzma Yehudit party’s condition for joining the next coalition is “the passage of a full judicial reform” that would establish a “constitutional court” above the High Court.