Right-wing activists protest outside IDF chief’s house, said to call him ‘traitor’

A small group of protesters demonstrates outside IDF Chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir’s house, calling on him to “protect the fighters.”

The protest, according to Channel 12, opposes the IDF’s jailing of a soldier for wearing an unauthorized patch on his uniform reading “Messiah.” Zamir had spotted the soldier during a visit to an army post in the West Bank, and had called him out.

The protesters blast music outside Zamir’s home and wave Israeli flags, one of which also appears to feature the word “Messiah.” The group shouts, “Lions of the Right,” according to Channel 12.

The protest also reportedly includes shouts of “traitor” and “subverter of Israel.”

מול בית רמטכ"ל צה"ל. בזמן מלחמה pic.twitter.com/joEe4PjadC

— Ben Caspit בן כספית (@BenCaspit) May 23, 2026

Opposition leaders condemn the protest and link it to the policies of the right-wing government.

“The shocking calls outside of the chief of staff’s home cross a bright red line, and are a severe warning sign for the future of Israeli society,” posts Gadi Eisenkot, a former IDF chief who now heads the opposition Yashar party. “Calling the chief of staff, who commands the IDF and has tied his fate to the security of the country, a ‘traitor’ and ‘subverter of Israel’ is a deep disgrace and a moral void.

He castigates the government for not condemning the protest, a decision he calls “submission in the face of an injury to the Israel Defense Forces’ command.”

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett, who is also running to unseat Netanyahu, writes, “Every moment that the prime minister and defense minister continue to stay silent is an expression of support for their calls of ‘traitor’ against the chief of staff.”