The High Court of Justice on Thursday struck down the government’s decision to close the Army Radio station, with the judges ruling unanimously that the government was guided by an “improper motive” to interfere in editorial content.
The three-justice panel ruled that it would accept petitions against the measure that the cabinet had approved in December. The ruling makes permanent a February provisional order by the court that halted the closure.
Responding to the ruling on Thursday, Defense Minister Israel Katz slammed 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 vowed that the government would tackle the issue once again “when we win” following the upcoming national election.
In separate opinions, justices Daphne Barak-Erez, Alex Stein and Yechiel Kasher wrote that while a decision to close Army Radio is not illegitimate in principle, the evidence showed the government sought to penalize the station for coverage perceived as critical.
