Without mentioning them by name, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi gave a speech on Sunday to try to regain control over messaging within the military at a time when multiple incidents had shaken the IDF’s cohesion.
Recently, Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram was formally reprimanded for ordering the demolition of a Palestinian university in Gaza without the necessary approval of his direct commander, IDF Southern Command Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkleman.
Then, on Thursday, IDF Brig. Gen. Dan Goldfus gave a speech in which, without naming a specific political party, he lectured the entire political class that they must “be worthy” of his soldiers' sacrifice.
He implied that much of the political class was acting childishly and disgracing the sacrifice of the many soldiers under his command who gave up their lives for Israeli democracy to continue.
Also, he specifically slammed any political forces standing in the way of all sectors, including Haredim, serving in the IDF or some sort of national service capacity.
Hiram has generated controversy because some Israelis want him prosecuted for the university demolition or for allegedly ordering soldiers to fire on a mix of Hamas and Israeli soldiers at the battle of Beeri in the South on October 7.
Others want him promoted for showing an aggressiveness that they feel much of the IDF lacks and point out that the university had terror tunnels under it and that firing on the mix of Hamas and hostages probably saved other civilians by eliminating the specific Hamas threat.
Moreover, supporters of Hiram view alleged weakness within the IDF's top echelons as the source of the October 7 failure.
Halevi reiterates the importance of keeping IDF principles during war
Confronting these issues, Halevi said it was important to support and praise IDF officials’ heroism during the current war, but discipline and the chain of command must be maintained.
“We cannot fight when discipline and our principles are not clear and are not followed. The balance between” giving IDF commanders freedom of discretion on most tactical issues on the battlefield versus maintaining loyalty to the military’s hierarchies and authorities “is the key to success.”
He said, “A commander cannot skip instructions without approval if there is no operational and self-evident emergency reason for doing so. Commanders who depart from the rules will be probed and dealt with quickly. This is our obligation.”