From the Liveblog of
Monday, August 5, 2024
Likud’s Edelstein says ‘not appropriate’ to discuss firing Gallant, Halevi in wartime
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"
Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Yuli Edelstein rejects far-right calls to dismiss Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, following a report that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is planning both his and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi’s ouster.
“We need to be focused on the goals of the war,” Edelstein tells a conference in Yad Binyamin hosted by the Israel Hayom outlet.
Turning to the ultra-Orthodox enlistment law being debated in his committee, Edelstein slams both those pushing for immediate mobilization of all eligible Haredim and those who shout that they’d rather die than enlist in the army.
“It is possible to bring the law [for a vote] within a short period. It’s simple, you just need common sense and to focus on what’s essential,” he says.
Edelstein also expressed disappointment in the military, saying that the IDF “was apparently a little frightened” and “now we are getting weak answers from it,” indicating that the IDF has not shared manpower requirements that could be used as the basis for comprehensive recruitment legislation.
“We are at war, there is a real and critical need. We need to bring practical solutions, not slogans,” Edelstein continues.
He promises to “do everything so that the conscription law will be passed” while meeting both the needs of the army and ensuring that new recruits can maintain their religious lifestyles.
