Turkel says gov't erred by rejecting Galant appointment

In radio interview, former Supreme Court judge criticizes gov't, state comptroller for "torpedoing" IDF chief of staff appointment.

Turkel 311 (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
Turkel 311
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
Yaakov Turkel, head of the committee which vets senior government appointments, on Monday spoke out against the decision to reject the appointment of Maj. Gen. Yoav Galant for the IDF chief of General Staff position.
In an interview with Army Radio, Turkel criticized the government, saying that it made a mistake when it decided not to appoint Galant based on Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein's recommendations.
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Following the recommendations, the cabinet in February retracted its earlier decision to appoint Galant as chief of staff, amid allegations that he seized land near his home in Moshav Amikam.
"Is it necessary to disqualify a person if both the prime minister and defense minister said he was best suited for the job?" Turkel asked.
Last week, Turkel also criticized State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss for opening the investigation into Galant.
Speaking at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Turkel, who approved the appointment of Galant to the post, said "What happened here regarding Galant was a torpedoing that came from the outside. A situation emerged in which the state comptroller interfered in the matter and began to explore [alternative] appointees."