By Maayan Lubell and Emily Rose

JERUSALEM, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Israel's cabinet voted on Monday to shut down a popular national radio station, one in a series of measures by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition that critics see as blows to democracy.

Defence Minister Israel Katz had proposed that Army Radio, broadcasting since the early days of the state, will be shut down by March 1, 2026, in what he described as an attempt to preserve the military’s nonpartisan character.

Its original purpose, Katz said in a statement, had been to broadcast for Israel's soldiers but that with time it served as a platform for views that "attack the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) and the IDF soldiers themselves".

Army Radio is among two state-funded........

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