PM’s son shares a post calling Herzi Halevi worst-ever IDF chief
Post by right-wing journalist says army chief of staff standing by while reservists shirk duties; defense minister jumps to Halevi’s defense, calling him ‘most excellent’ officer
Michael Horovitz is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel
Yair Netanyahu, the son of the prime minister, shared a Facebook post Monday that said Herzi Halevi “will be remembered as the most failed and destructive chief of staff in the history of the IDF” for not cracking down on reservists who have refused to show up for duty over the coalition’s judicial overhaul legislation.
The post was deleted from Netanyahu’s page around half an hour after it was shared.
Right-wing journalist Erez Tadmor claimed in the post that Halevi had turned the military into the only one in the world that doesn’t impose discipline, instead inviting refusers to “seminars to release tension and discussion circles.”
“Don’t be blinded by the headlines in newspapers, Lt. Gen. Halevi. In the test of history, when the fog clears and the dust settles, you Mr. Halevi will be remembered as the most failed and destructive chief of staff in the history of the IDF and the State of Israel,” Tadmor wrote.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was briefed by the country’s military brass on the state of the military’s readiness, amid growing alarm that reservist no-shows had begun to take a toll on national security.
There was no readout of the meeting from Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s office or the IDF. Netanyahu’s top political rival Yair Lapid accused him of a “cowardly” attempt to shirk responsibility for the crisis, with reports Sunday claiming that the premier had screamed at Halevi and other generals for speaking publicly on the issue days earlier.
Both Halevi and Israel Air Force chief Tomer Bar refused requests to walk back the comments on the army’s readiness, the reports claimed, with Halevi quoted as telling Netanyahu that “it is our duty to issue a warning when the army’s fitness is at risk.”
“The chief of staff has been standing by for half a year,” wrote Tadmor on Monday. “For half a year, publicity agencies and well-budgeted thugs have been inciting and pushing for refusals and threats of refusals, and you, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, have done nothing.
“Not only did you not judge or oust even one of the organizers and instigators, but you surrendered to them and became an ambassador for refusers who demand that the government surrender to them. You did this in March and are doing this now,” Tadmor said.
Tadmor claimed that although there was some damage to the competency of some units, “most of the headlines on the subject are spin and psychological warfare.”
“The responsibility for this does not fall on the shoulders of the government, which is not ready to submit to the threats and fascist attempt of a handful of military personnel to subdue an elected government,” Tadmor wrote, adding that the responsibility lay with the reservists themselves.
Gallant swiftly defended Halevi in a tweet, praising him as “one of the most excellent officers that I’ve met in all my years in the IDF and security establishment.
“A brave commander, honest, matter-of-fact, coolheaded, thorough and considerate. Many citizens of the country owe him their lives,” he wrote.
“The people of Israel are honored in these complex times to have Chief of Staff Halevi leading the IDF,” he added.
Without explicitly condemning the post shared by his son, Netanyahu tweeted Monday evening that the country faced “big challenges,” and he is “working day and night together with the defense minister, the IDF chief of staff, senior IDF officers and security forces to jointly guarantee Israel’s security under all circumstances.”
Yair Netanyahu is known for his far-right views and combative social media presence, which has landed him in court on a number of occasions. He rose in public prominence amid widespread reports that he was influencing his father’s policies, particularly over the contentious judicial overhaul plan.
Prime Minister Netanyahu and his wife Sara in April reportedly demanded Yair stop posting on social media and not speak directly with lawmakers or ministers amid accusations he was inflaming tensions in Israel and exacerbating a diplomatic rift with the United States.
Yair had normally tweeted dozens of times a day but has been almost entirely absent from the site in recent months, though he still regularly shares posts on Facebook.
As the reservists’ revolt has spread to some of the armed forces’ most elite units and divisions, military leaders have struggled to stay sanguine on the issue publicly, with the IDF’s spokesman admitting last week that “there is limited harm in some areas.”
The worsening military crisis, fueled by some of the largest protests Israel has ever seen, has threatened to become a political liability for Netanyahu. The prime minister’s right-wing and religious-backed coalition has rejected the reservists’ protests as a dangerous and unprecedented form of political blackmail by the military.
At the same time, the issue has led to questions by critics on whether Netanyahu, on trial in three graft cases, can be trusted to keep Israel secure at the expense of his political and legal fortunes.
Some 10,000 reservists who frequently show up for duty on a voluntary basis said they would no longer do so last month after the coalition advanced the first major piece of legislation related to its overhaul of the judiciary. The reservists, many of whom acted on their threats, have warned they will not be able to serve in an undemocratic Israel, which some charge the country will become if the government’s overhaul plans are realized.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
