Ramping up fight, Katz accuses IDF chief of working with government critics to bypass hierarchy

Defense Minister Israel Katz says in a statement that he is keeping military staffing decisions under his close watch, ratcheting up a brewing brawl with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir.

“After the events of October 7, there is no longer an army that is not under supervision,” he says in a “clarification” published by his office.

Katz on Monday clashed with Zamir over a meeting the top general had on senior appointments in the military, subsequently slapping down the proposed promotions.

“In accordance with the law, I am the one who decides on approving promotions from the rank of colonel on up, and the IDF chief is meant to recommend various options,” he says in the statement.

“Therefore, a procedure was established for prior consultation between the defense minister and the chief of staff, a procedure that must be carried out in an orderly manner and in preliminary discussions, as has been done since I assumed the position of defense minister,” Katz says.

“The attempt to change the procedures we decided on, perhaps on the recommendation of anti-government advisers stirring the pot, and to replace them with an attempt to create facts on the ground in ad hoc meetings, will not succeed,” he adds.

Despite Katz’s claim, there appears to be no law that authorizes the defense minister to be in charge of approving promotions in the military.

There is, however, a “General Staff order”– a top-tier military protocol — from 1992 (which was updated in 2020), stating that for promotions of colonel and above, the chief of staff is the “appointing authority” and the defense minister is the “approving authority.”

The approving authority is defined in the military protocol as the official authorized to approve the promotion of an officer after it has been agreed upon in a staffing discussion.

The order also states that “the appointment of officers in the IDF will take place after holding an appointments discussion. The decision in the appointments discussion will be made by the chairperson of the discussion and will be passed on for approval by the approving authority.”

The Kan broadcaster reported Tuesday that Zamir had held consultations with several former high-ranking army officers, including ex-chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi, former Operations Directorate Israel Ziv and ex-IDF spokesman Avi Benayahu, all of whom have been critical of the government.