Defense Minister Israel Katz on Monday signed the appointment letters for the establishment of a committee to examine the status of the military radio station, Galei Tzahal.
The committee will be chaired by Major General (res.) Yiftah Ron-Tal. The other members of the committee are Elad Malka, Dr. Dalia Zelikovich, Yonatan Ben Hamou, and Sara Haetzani-Cohen. The committee is expected to submit its recommendations within 50 days.
"Today I appointed the committee to examine the status of Galei Tzahal in order to present me with recommendations regarding the station's future within 50 days. I made it clear in advance that I am not willing for the current situation to continue, and what was, will no longer be," Katz said.
He explained, "Galei Tzahal was established by the Israeli government as a military station to serve as a voice and ear for IDF soldiers and their families, and for this purpose, it was allocated significant resources at the expense of the defense system, as well as soldiers who serve at the station as part of their military service, instead of being assigned to other roles where soldiers are needed. It was not meant to be a platform for expressing personal opinions, many of which attack the IDF and its soldiers."
"The main task for the committee will be to examine whether Galei Tzahal fulfills its original purpose and whether there is justification, especially today in light of the lessons learned from the long war carried heroically by the regular and reserve soldiers, to maintain the current structure.
"Numerous committees have addressed this issue in the past and made recommendations that were not implemented. This time, I intend to form a clear position and also ensure its implementation, as I have done in many areas in the past," he concluded.
Galei Tzahal was meant to reach areas other radio stations could not and broadcast non-stop. The advent of smartphones has largely made that irrelevant.