From the Liveblog of
Thursday, May 2, 2024
Likud MKs join Smotrich in urging Gallant not to allow IDF chief to make senior appointment after Oct. 7 ‘failure’
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli and two other Likud lawmakers write to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to express opposition to Lt Gen. Herzi Halevi’s recent round of senior appointments within the IDF.
The general staff, “which besides impressive achievements in the war bears direct responsibility for the security failure of October 7,” cannot involve itself in promoting senior officials, Chikli, alongside MKs Moshe Saada and Dan Illouz write, adding that “some of the appointments that have come up concern senior officers whose degree of responsibility for the events of October 7 is still unknown.”
Their statement is welcomed by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has repeatedly insisted that the army’s leadership has no mandate to design a “new and reformed IDF” during wartime.
“Important support for our demand to ensure that the new high command will not be in the image and likeness of those responsible for the military failure,” Smotrich tweets.
