Journalist Noam Amir (Channel 14) said Tuesday that the IDF's account of its representative being denied the chance to speak in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee last week is false. Amir asserted that Brig. Gen. Shay Tayeb, head of the IDF Manpower Directorate, was highly dominant in the committee discussions, contradicting claims that the military had no voice.
Noam Amir, a journalist for Channel 14, on Tuesday directly contradicted a report that an IDF representative was denied speaking time in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee last week. Amir wrote: 'From Bismut's side, this is a lie and a falsehood.' He added that Brig. Gen. Shay Tayeb, head of the IDF Manpower Directorate, was 'very, very dominant' in the committee discussions, making the claim that the IDF had no voice 'nonsense.'
Earlier Tuesday, a report indicated that an IDF representative at a committee hearing on military service extension had approached chairman MK Boaz Bismut to request speaking time but was refused. That report was covered by The Zioneer. Amir's rebuttal comes amid ongoing tensions over legislation related to draft exemptions and the IDF's personnel crisis, with the military warning of nearly 90,000 draft evaders.
Amir accused the IDF of feeding spin to the media, stating, 'The army always finds some suckers in the media to amplify them.' The incident underscores the strained relationship between the defense establishment and the press over coverage of the military's position.
2 developments
- DevelopingNoam Amir: Chief of Staff no longer focuses on military messaging but on political policy
- DevelopingJournalist says IDF claim of hesder yeshiva heads agreeing to armor enlistment is wrong
- DevelopingIDF representative loses patience with legal adviser in Knesset service-extension debate
- DevelopingSenior security official: IDF chief of staff leaked letter after IDF representative sat silent in committee for three weeks
Source and signal
- Internal intake