IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi formally reprimands Brig. Gen. Ofer Winter over a conversation the officer had with Yamina party leader Naftali Bennett, which was held without permission through proper channels.
Under military protocol, officers are forbidden from meeting directly with elected officials without approval.
According to a report in the Israel Hayom newspaper, Winter and Bennett met privately in recent days. After the story was published yesterday, the Israel Defense Forces said it would investigate the matter.
Today, the head of the IDF Central Command — Winter’s commanding officer — presented his findings to Kohavi, confirming that the meeting took place.
“The chief of staff called the officer for a clarification conversation and decided to give him a formal reprimand in light of the restriction on direct contacts between service members and elected officials,” the IDF says in a statement.
Brig. Gen. Ofer Winter attends a Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting at the Knesset, on October 22, 2018. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
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