Israel National News
Israeli right, religious Zionist
Background
Arutz Sheva was founded in October 1988 by Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed, along with Yaakov 'Ketzaleh' Katz and others affiliated with the religious Zionist settlement movement. It began as a pirate radio station broadcasting from the ship Eretz Hatzvi in international waters off the Israeli coast, positioning itself as a counterweight to what its founders considered a left-leaning Israeli broadcast media establishment. The station quickly became a significant voice for the settler movement in Judea and Samaria. Israeli authorities repeatedly challenged its legality, and after years of litigation the Supreme Court ruled against it, forcing the radio operation to shut down in 2003. By that point the outlet had already launched an English-language website in 1995 — one of the earliest Israeli news sites online — and it pivoted fully to digital publishing after losing its broadcast license. Today it operates a 24-hour web news service in Hebrew, English, French, and Russian. Media rating organizations consistently place it on the right of the Israeli political spectrum, noting its strong pro-settlement editorial line, favorable coverage of right-wing Israeli governments, and a mixed factual record that includes documented instances of inaccurate images and failed fact checks. Its English-language edition targets diaspora Jewish audiences and is widely read in pro-Israel conservative circles internationally.
Sources
- Arutz Sheva — Wikipedia
- Arutz Sheva (Israel National News) — Bias and Credibility — Media Bias/Fact Check
- Israel National News — Bias and Reliability — Biasly
Profile compiled 2026-08-16; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.