Knesset member Tali Gottlieb criticized Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu this morning (Wednesday) for expressing support for the Chief of Staff after his son shared a post against the conduct of Major General Herzi Halevi.
In a tweet on her Twitter page, Gottlieb wrote: "Mr. Prime Minister, are you apologizing for anything? What right does the government have to exist if we remain silent when the top of the IDF considered releasing a statement about the readiness of the IDF in a way that would have played into the hands of our enemies and seriously undermined our national strength?" In conclusion, she wrote: "It is our duty to condemn unequivocally! And to apologize? Only for allowing the Chief of Staff to remain in his position, the same Chief of Staff who, through silence, approved insubordination."
As a reminder, the storm began when Prime Minister Netanyahu's son, Yair Netanyahu, shared a post written by Likud member and media figure Erez Tadmor, in which the latter criticized the Chief of Staff's conduct in relation to the pilots' insubordination and other factors.
Tadmor wrote to Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi: "For half a year you have stood by. For half a year well-budgeted publicity agencies and thugs have been inciting and pushing for refusal and threats of refusal, and you, Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, have done nothing. Not only did you not judge or depose even one of the organizers and instigators, but you surrendered to them and became the ambassador of the insubordinates who demand that the government surrender to them. You did it in March and you're doing it again now." Tadmor added, "Don't be blinded by the headlines in the newspapers Chief of Staff 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."
Netanyahu: "Working together with the Chief of Staff to maintain security"
The post and its sharing created a storm that drew attacks from the opposition and condemnations from figures within the government, such as Defense Minister Gallant and Knesset member Eli Dellal, who came to the defense of the Chief of Staff. As a result, Prime Minister Netanyahu came to the defense of the security establishment and the Chief of Staff, writing in a social media post: "The State of Israel faces significant challenges, and as the Prime Minister of Israel, I work day and night alongside the Defense Minister, the Chief of Staff, senior IDF and security forces officials to ensure Israel's security under all circumstances."