Late Sunday night, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett accused the government of 'dismantling the IDF from within,' while opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot called Defense Minister Israel Katz's appearance 'an unprecedented low,' according to N12.
Opposition leaders Naftali Bennett and Gadi Eisenkot launched a coordinated wave of condemnation late Sunday night against Defense Minister Israel Katz's decision to dismiss IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Blot. The criticism, which escalated through the evening, marks a significant escalation in the ongoing rift between the political echelon and the military leadership over policy in Judea and Samaria.
At 00:14 Jerusalem, Eisenkot initially responded to a controversial segment on Channel 14's "Patriots" program, calling it "an unprecedented low" in civil-military relations and accusing the political echelon of using the IDF as a "tool in their primaries." Minutes later, in a separate statement, Bennett accused the government of "dismantling the IDF from within" after "dismantling it from outside and ensuring mass draft-dodging," calling on soldiers and commanders to hold strong. Eisenkot then issued a second, sharper attack on Katz, describing the defense minister's appearance as "an unprecedented low." The Zioneer reported Bennett's statement at 00:10 and Eisenkot's at 00:22 Jerusalem.
The dismissals come against a backdrop of deepening friction between Katz and the Central Command. As The Zioneer reported on Sunday, Aug 2, 23:22 Jerusalem, Katz publicly attacked Maj. Gen. Blot over a legal appeal involving the release of Tal Yanon Dardik, a Jewish resident of Judea and Samaria, and announced plans to advance the appointment of Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa as the new Central Command chief. Katz stated at the time that "my control over the system is absolute control," signaling a hardline approach to shaping operational priorities in the region.
The specific consequences of the dismissal and the full official response from the IDF and the Defense Ministry remain unclear. The Zioneer will continue to track developments.
4 developments
- DevelopingBennett-Eisenkot rift called 'destructive' to the Israeli opposition's prospects
- DevelopingBennett: Government dismantling IDF from within after dismissing Blut
- DevelopingYaakov Bardugo accuses Eisenkot of dismantling IDF, calls Bennett 'biggest swindler'
- DevelopingNetanyahu accuses Eisenkot of opposing Iran strike, abandoning government during war
Source and signal
- Open-source intake