Smotrich bashes IDF chief for promoting officers during wartime

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich criticizes the IDF chief of staff over a recent round of senior appointments, arguing that Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi has not been tasked with overhauling the military during wartime.

Speaking to the press at the opening of his Religious Zionism party’s weekly faction meeting, Smotrich asserts that the IDF leadership’s mandate in the wake of “failure” of October 7 was “to conduct the war and that’s it.”

“There is no mandate to design the new and reformed IDF. I call on the chief of staff to stop the round of appointments. It is not the time,” he says, adding that such a project could only be undertaken by a new military high command “appointed after the victory.”

“To be clear, now is a war and I fully support the IDF at all levels and in all ranks even when I do not agree with you on everything,” he continues, adding that the IDF cannot “take advantage” of this backing to determine Israel’s future security strategy.

Last week, Halevi announced the first list of senior appointments in the military since the October 7 onslaught, including three new brigadier generals and 11 new colonels, as well as 26 colonels who are moving positions but staying at the same rank.

Smotrich’s comments came after the IDF announced that Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram, the commander of the Israeli military’s 99th Division, was formally censured for the demolition of a university in the Gaza Strip earlier this year without the necessary authorization.

Smotrich also calls on the Haredi parties to work with other coalition parties to find a solution to the draft exemption issue.

Declaring that “now is the time for change,” Smotrich says that a solution can only be found through “respect” and not through the “contempt and hatred” of opposition politicians like Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid, who is pushing a bill requiring the enlistment of full-time yeshiva students.

At this “crucial” hour “we need mobilization in Haredi society,” he says.