Netanyahu Govt To Close Israel’s Army Radio, Says It Can’t Be Counted Among Countries Like N/Korea

According to a report by Reuters on Monday 22 December, 2025, Israel’s government has taken a decisive step toward shutting down one of the country’s best-known radio stations, a move that is already stirring fierce debate about press freedom and democratic norms.

On Monday, the cabinet approved a plan to close Army Radio, a national broadcaster that has been on air since the early days of Israel’s statehood. The decision is part of a broader pattern under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition that critics say is steadily tightening pressure on independent media.

Defence Minister Israel Katz, who put forward the proposal, said the station would stop operating by March 1, 2026. His argument was that the outlet no longer serves its original purpose. Army Radio, he said, was meant to broadcast to soldiers, but over time evolved into a civilian platform that now carries commentary hostile to the military and its personnel.

Army Radio is one of only two publicly funded news outlets in Israel, alongside the public broadcaster KAN. Both are formally independent in their editorial decisions and reach millions of listeners and viewers nationwide.

Speaking during the cabinet meeting, Netanyahu framed the issue more starkly, arguing that a military-run station addressing the general public is out of place in a democratic society. “I think it exists in North Korea and maybe a few other countries, and we probably don’t want to be counted among them,” he said.

That comparison immediately triggered backlash. Journalists, civil society groups and opposition figures warned that closing the station would deal a serious blow to free expression. Media advocates say the move fits a wider trend by the government to marginalise outlets that carry critical voices rather than supportive ones.

Legal challenges are already taking shape. The Movement for Quality Government in Israel has filed a petition at the Supreme Court, seeking to block the shutdown. Meanwhile, the Israel Democracy Institute cautioned that eliminating Army Radio would effectively erase half of the country’s independent public news broadcasting and argued that such a far-reaching decision should not bypass parliamentary scrutiny.

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