After last week’s hearing, Israel’s Supreme Court today issued a conditional injunction against the cabinet’s decision to close down Army Radio (Galei Tzahal). The cabinet will now be required to justify why the closure of Army radio should not be annulled.
The three justice panel of Daphne Barak-Erez, Alex Stein and Yechiel Kasher ruled, "A conditional injunction is hereby issued ordering the government respondents to come and provide reasons why government decision number 3661 of December 22, 2025, which concerns the closure of the Army Radio broadcasting station, should not be annulled. Without being exhaustive, the response affidavit will focus on claims that concern the correctness of the decision-making process and the manner in which discretion was exercised within its framework."
According to the court's decision, the state's response must be received by March 15, 2026, "and may even be brought forward."
This means shifting the burden of proof to the cabinet, which must now justify the legality of the process of closing the station.
The injunction was issued after a series of petitions filed by the Journalists' Association, the Press Council, the Army Radio Employees' Committee, and the Movement for Quality Government. They petitioned against Minister of Defense Israel Katz's decision to close the radio station by March 1, 2026 at the latest.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on February 2, 2026.
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2026.
