From the Liveblog of
Thursday, July 2, 2026
Katz hosts right-wing activists, including convicted felon, at IDF headquarters for security briefing
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Defense Minister Israel Katz hosted a group of right-wing activists, including several controversial figures, in his office today for a security briefing, according to participants.
“A short while ago, we met at the Kirya for a lengthy meeting with Defense Minister Israel Katz. He gave us a security briefing on all fronts,” writes activist Liran Baruch on X, attaching a photo showing the participants of the meeting.
Among them are Sheffi Paz, an anti-migrant activist and convicted felon; Aviad Gadot, a rabbi who leads a far-right religious nationalist organization, Torat Lehima, which aims to remove women from combat service and from the IDF entirely; Eliyahu Yosian, a far-right TV pundit, known for his extreme views; and Yigal Malka, a Likud activist who has claimed “treason” caused the October 7 onslaught.
There was no immediate comment from Katz’s office on the meeting.
לפני זמן קצר נפגשנו בקריה לפגישה ארוכה
עם שר הביטחון מר @Israel_katz
שנתן לנו סקירה בטחונית על כל הגזרות
בהמשך העלנו הרבה סוגיות בוערות שעולות מהשטח
השר וצוותו הבטיחו לטפל ולהקים צוות מעקב.
נמשיך לעקוב.@sheffipaz @igal_malka @OdeliaKedmi @limoodiran pic.twitter.com/vB1ffRgdhp— לירן ברוך liran baruch (@BarochLiran) July 2, 2026
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