IDF chief ‘severely reprimands’ division commander for critique of politicians
Halevi says Brig. Gen. Goldfus’s remarks in press conference ‘harmed IDF’s dignity, boundaries between political and military echelons’; Goldfus apologizes
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The commander of the Israel Defense Forces’ 98th Division, Brig. Gen. Dan Goldfus, received a “severe reprimand” by Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi on Friday for off-script remarks directed at Israel’s political leaders during a press conference earlier in the week.
Goldfus addressed “both sides” of Israel’s political leadership after a prepared and approved statement to the press on Wednesday, telling them that the military would “not run away from responsibility,” and that they must push away extremism.
The commander had raised eyebrows when he said politicians “need to be worthy of us. You need to be worthy of the soldiers who lost their lives. You need to be worthy of the reservists who don’t care what [political] side they are on, and fought and fight alongside each other.”
The additional remarks were not approved by Goldfus’s superiors, and he was subsequently summoned by Halevi for a “clarification conversation.”
After their meeting Friday, the military said “the chief of staff severely reprimanded the division commander for acting contrary to what was expected of a senior commander in the IDF.”
Halevi told Goldfus that he “used the trust given to him in a way that harmed the dignity of the IDF, and the boundaries between the political and military echelons in a democratic country.”
The chief of staff also said he “appreciates his professionalism and deep contribution to the IDF, certainly during the war in the last months, but this does not allow him to behave in the way he did.”
Goldfus, according to the IDF, accepted Halevi’s rebuke, admitted his actions were wrong and contrary to military protocol, and apologized for them.
In recordings aired by Channel 12 news Thursday, Goldfus was heard telling troops weeks into the war that he had met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to an army base a few days after the devastating onslaught, and expressed criticisms similar to his remarks on Wednesday.
Goldfus’s division has been leading the fighting against the Hamas terror group in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis for the past three months.
