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Defense Minister Moves to Shut Down Israel’s Historic Army Radio Station
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz looks on, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Jerusalem, Nov. 7, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
i24 News – Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, said he plans to bring a proposal to the government on Sunday to close Galei Tzahal, the Israel Defense Forces’ radio station, ending a broadcast operation that has been on the air for more than seven decades.
If approved, the shutdown would take effect on March 1, 2026.
The announcement has triggered sharp backlash from journalists, legal experts, and civil society groups, who warn the move could have far-reaching implications for press freedom. Tal Lev-Ram, the station’s commander, has already signaled that Galei Tzahal’s leadership intends to challenge the decision in the High Court of Justice. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara also voiced concern, cautioning that the plan could amount to political intervention in public media and pose risks to freedom of expression.
Criticism has also come from the Israeli Press Council, headed by former Supreme Court justice Hanan Melcer, which labeled the proposed closure unlawful.
The council argued that dismantling a public broadcaster requires explicit legislation passed by the Knesset, not a government decision alone. Advocacy organizations, including the Movement for Quality Government, said they are preparing legal petitions as well.
Katz defended the initiative by citing the findings of a professional review committee, which concluded that a military-run radio station broadcasting political and current affairs programming to the general public represents a “democratic anomaly.”
He argued that Galei Tzahal has moved beyond its original mandate of serving soldiers and their families.
The committee examined a range of alternatives, such as converting the station into a music-only outlet or partially privatizing its operations.
Ultimately, it recommended either closing the station altogether or significantly scaling it back by removing political content. Katz noted that Galgalatz, the popular music station operated by the army, would continue broadcasting under the proposed plan.
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Trilateral Summit: Israel, Greece, Cyprus to Discuss Regional Security
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participates in the state memorial ceremony for the fallen of the Iron Swords War on Mount Herzl, Jerusalem on Oct. 16, 2025. Photo: Alex Kolomoisky/POOL/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – Jerusalem will host a trilateral summit tomorrow, bringing together leaders from Israel, Greece, and Cyprus to discuss strengthening security cooperation in the eastern Mediterranean.
The summit follows reports by Amichai Stein of i24NEWS last week that the three countries are considering the formation of a joint rapid-response military unit.
The Israeli Prime Minister is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with each of his counterparts before convening the full trilateral session, which will conclude with a joint press statement outlining the summit’s outcomes.
Media reports indicate that the initiative is driven in part by concerns in Athens over Turkey’s growing military activity in the region. The proposed rapid-response force is expected to enhance coordination, readiness, and overall security among the three allies.
Analysts say the meeting could solidify Israel, Greece, and Cyprus’s strategic partnership and signal a more unified approach to regional defense challenges.
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Justice Department Restores Trump Photo to Public Database of Epstein Files
An exterior image from the U.S. Virgin Islands property on Little St. James once owned by Jeffrey Epstein. via U.S. Justice Department
A photo of US President Donald Trump that had been removed from the cache of Jeffrey Epstein files released by the Department of Justice was restored on Sunday after officials determined none of Epstein’s victims were in the image, the department said.
The photo showing a desk with an open drawer containing a photo of Trump with various women was flagged by the Southern District of New York for review to protect potential victims.
“After the review, it was determined there is no evidence that any Epstein victims are depicted in the photograph, and it has been reposted without any alteration or redaction,” the Justice Department said on X on Sunday.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said earlier on Sunday his office removed the photo because of concerns about women in the photo. “It has nothing to do with President Trump,” Blanche said during a Sunday morning appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press with Kristen Welker.”
The Justice Department released thousands of documents on Friday related to Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender who committed suicide in 2019. But it has drawn criticism, including from some Republicans, over extensive redactions and few documents mentioning Trump despite his well-publicized friendship with Epstein.
During an ABC News interview on Sunday, Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called for a “full and complete investigation as to why the document production has fallen short of what the law clearly required.”
Up to 16 photos, including the desk drawer Trump image, were removed on Saturday from the Justice Department website, according to The New York Times, NPR and the Associated Press, although Reuters could not independently confirm the removals.
The Justice Department said on Sunday it acted with an abundance of caution after receiving requests from alleged victims and their lawyers to remove information.
Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing and has denied knowing about Epstein’s crimes.
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US Envoy Witkoff Calls Ukraine, Russia Talks Productive
Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes US President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff during a meeting in Moscow, Russia, Aug. 6, 2025. Photo: Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Pool via REUTERS
Talks held between US, European and Ukrainian officials over the last three days in Florida aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine focused on aligning positions, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Sunday, calling those meetings and separate talks with Russian negotiators productive.
US President Donald Trump has been pressuring Ukraine and Russia to come to an agreement on ending the nearly four-year-old conflict as soon as possible, but Russia wants to keep the Ukrainian areas it has seized and Kyiv has refused to cede ground.
After meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev on Saturday, Witkoff and Trump adviser Jared Kushner met on Sunday with officials from Ukraine and Europe, and then separately with the Ukrainian delegation, led by senior official Rustem Umerov.
Witkoff, in a social media post, called Sunday’s talks “productive and constructive” and focused on a “shared strategic approach between Ukraine, the United States and Europe.”
In a separate X post that used some of the same language, Witkoff said his talks with Dmitriev were also “productive and constructive.”
“Russia remains fully committed to achieving peace in Ukraine,” Witkoff said in the post. “Russia highly values the efforts and support of the United States to resolve the Ukrainian conflict and re-establish global security.”
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said earlier on Sunday that Ukrainian and European input into the peace proposals under discussion had not improved the prospects for peace, but said Dmitriev was scheduled to return to Moscow on Monday and would report to Putin on the outcome of his talks.
“After that, we will formulate the position with which we will proceed, including in our contacts with the Americans,” Ushakov said in remarks posted by Kremlin pool journalist Pavel Zarubin on his Telegram channel.
The meetings in Miami were the latest in a series of talks between the US, Russia and Ukraine on a US-drafted 20-point plan to end the war.
Witkoff said the US-Ukraine meeting focused on four key points: further development of the 20-point plan, a multilateral security guarantee framework, a US security guarantee framework for Ukraine, and further development on economics and prosperity to rebuild Ukraine.
Negotiators focused especially on “timelines” and “sequencing of next steps,” Witkoff said.
US, Ukrainian and European officials earlier this week reported progress on security guarantees for Kyiv as part of the talks to end the war, but it remains unclear if those terms will be acceptable to Moscow.
“Peace must be not only a cessation of hostilities, but also a dignified foundation for a stable future,” Witkoff said.
Prior to the Miami meeting, US intelligence continued to indicate Putin has not abandoned his ambitions of taking over Ukrainian territory, according to six people familiar with the intelligence.
In response to a Reuters report on Friday, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on X that US intelligence assessments have shown Russia “does not currently have the capability to conquer and occupy all of Ukraine, let alone Europe.”
Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and close ally of Trump‘s, said on NBC’s “Meet The Press” on Sunday it was still unclear if Putin would accept the current deal.
If he does not, Graham said, the Trump administration should adopt an approach similar to its recent actions with oil tankers near Venezuela and “seize ships that are carrying sanctioned Russian oil.”
A Russian refusal to accept the current proposal should also lead to labeling “Russia a state sponsor of terrorism for kidnapping 20,000 Ukrainian kids,” Graham said.