Israel’s Supreme Court has unanimously rejected the government’s decision to shut down Galei Tzahal, the Israel Defence Forces’ radio station, ruling that the closure was based on improper political motives. The judges found that the government’s reasoning amounted to censorship, stating that state authorities cannot simply silence a broadcaster because they disagree with its editorial content. ‘We cannot accept that a government official would decide to close a broadcaster’s microphone simply because the station’s programmes are not to their liking,’ the court declared in its ruling. The decision represents a significant rebuke to the government’s handling of the media outlet, which has long been seen as critical of successive administrations. However, the court did acknowledge that the government possesses the theoretical legal authority to close the station if it were to do so for proper administrative reasons, and indicated that no special legislation would be required for such a closure. The ruling came as part of broader tensions in Israel over media freedom and government control of state institutions.

Source: Ynet — Original article in Hebrew.