IDF chief slams far-right minister over diversion of IDF resources for ‘political’ visit to Joseph’s Tomb

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir slams far-right MK Tzvi Sukkot over what he describes as a “political” visit to Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus that diverted military resources during wartime, Channel 12 reports.

In a letter published by the news outlet sent to senior officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, chair of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Boaz Bismuth and Defense Minister Israel Katz, Zamir writes that the May 19 visit was presented to the military as a professional oversight tour by a Knesset subcommittee chaired by Sukkot, but ultimately became a political and media event.

According to the letter, the IDF allocated extensive resources to secure the visit, including Border Police and military forces, drones, attack helicopters and secured evacuation routes. Zamir says that some of those resources came at the expense of other operational missions and that a battalion was diverted from Lebanon due to the risks associated with entering the site during daylight hours.

“Conducting a political tour under the guise of a security review, which requires operational resources, during wartime, is fundamentally unacceptable and must not be repeated,” Zamir writes.

Sukkot denies wrongdoing, telling Channel 12 that the planned committee discussion was canceled after its timing changed, though the tour itself still took place. He argues that such visits are often conducted solely by the committee chair.