Opposition MKs convene emergency session over plans to shutter Army Radio

By Ariela Karmel

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17 November 2025, 2:23 pm

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Ariela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.

MKs Gilad Kariv and Naama Lazimi at an emergency meeting of the lobby for Freedom of the Press in Israel at the Knesset, November 17, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Opposition lawmakers are holding an emergency meeting at the Knesset following Defense Minister Israel Katz’s announcement on Wednesday that he intends to shut down Army Radio, a decision that sparked pushback from the press, civil rights organizations and opposition parties.

“This is a war — a war over freedom of the press, the right to know, and the very soul of democracy,” says left-wing Democrats chair Yair Golan. “In this war, the Supreme Court is the command post, the police and Shin Bet are defensive lines, and Army Radio is an outpost. If we abandon even one outpost, we open a serious breach.”

Katz said the move was necessary to protect the IDF’s nonpartisan status and that the operation of a civilian-style broadcaster by the military is “an anomaly.” The military’s operation and funding of a radio station with journalists responsible for investigating the IDF, as well as politicians, has long been criticized as anachronistic, expensive, and an ethical minefield.

Former Army Radio commander Danny Zaken acknowledges that the radio station is flawed, and that “there is much to fix regarding ethical, professional, standards, and journalistic fairness levels,” but urges that it be reformed, not shuttered. Army Radio is one of the most popular news stations in Israel.

“Public broadcasting, insulated from commercial pressures and almost insulated from political pressures, is crucial. Against the backdrop of the deep divisions tearing Israel apart, and especially ahead of the elections, Army Radio is important,” he says.

The session, led by MKs Gilad Kariv and Naama Lazimi, of the left-wing Democrats party, and Yesh Atid MKs Karin Elharar and Meirav Cohen, includes journalists, representatives from the Association of Journalists, former senior staff and alumni of Army Radio, and civil society organizations, many of whom express fear that the announcement is part of a wider assault on freedom of the press.

The plans to shutter Army Radio are among several coalition efforts targeting the media, including Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi’s controversial bill to overhaul the broadcast media landscape and Likud MK Ariel Kallner’s proposal to shutter foreign media outlets.