Naftali Bennett’s commander reveals what kind of soldier he really was

Last night, former Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked him to remove Naftali Bennett from the Political-Security Cabinet due to a "reliability issue" from Bennett’s time in Sayeret Matkal. Netanyahu slammed Cohen, calling it a lie and denying he ever made such a request. Bennett also rejected the allegations. Now, Giora Levi, Bennett’s commander in Sayeret Matkal, weighs in on the controversy.

In an interview with Channel 12 News, Levi said: “It’s nonsense, it never happened. Naftali was an excellent, outstanding soldier. Naftali went to officer training at Tal Russo’s request, then the Maglan commander, knowing he’d return to Maglan. He was an exceptional team commander, a revered platoon leader, and later wrote Maglan’s anthem. It’s a common practice in the unit: even I, after a company commander course, moved to Duvdevan. It’s very standard.”

Regarding Netanyahu’s alleged request to the Shin Bet chief at the time, Levi remarked: “This is the first I’ve heard of it, and Naftali and I talk a lot, so I estimate it’s tied to a cabinet discussion during Operation Protective Edge when Naftali demanded to eliminate Hamas, sparking a conflict with Netanyahu. That likely led to this request from the Shin Bet chief back then, based on false claims here and there.”