From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
In farewell with General Staff, Gallant says IDF loyalty must be to State of Israel and its laws
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant held a farewell meeting with the IDF General Staff Forum earlier today, telling the military’s top brass to not allow anyone to divert them off their path of morals and values.
“I saw you in the difficult hours of failure on October 7, and I also saw you in the moments of recovery and unprecedented achievements,” Gallant says to the generals, in remarks provided by his office.
“When the winds are stormy, when darkness surrounds you, stick to the values compass, the moral compass, and don’t let anyone divert you from this path,” he says.
“The loyalty of the IDF, of its commanders, of its officers, of the oath of the recruits from day one, is to the State of Israel and its laws, and the commitment is expressed in the spirit of the IDF and the values of the IDF. That is what we are committed to,” Gallant continues.
The outgoing defense minister also repeats that the IDF must grow in size to handle current and future challenges.
“The security challenges will increase significantly and the meaning is that we will need more resources, the first of which, we will need more people,” he says.
“We will have to draft larger parts of Israeli society… I am sure we will succeed because we are at a turning point,” Gallant says, referring to the ultra-Orthodox community.
Gallant last night said that among the reasons for his dismissal by the prime minister was his support for drafting Haredi men to the IDF, which he has said is an urgent security need.
Gallant has opposed legislation that would preserve the exemption of ultra-Orthodox males from military service, putting him at odds with the Haredi parties, which have demanded it be pushed through as a matter of priority and have said they are prepared to topple the coalition should it not pass into law.
