IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir should be reprimanded for an “overreach of authority” in his public feud with Defense Minister Israel Katz, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Thursday.
“A reality in which the IDF chief of staff releases statements attacking the minister overseeing him is inexcusable,” he told KAN Reshet Bet.
Zamir and Katz have been embroiled in an ongoing public clash in recent days over the October 7 massacre probes and their consequences for IDF commanders.
Zamir criticized Katz for interjecting politics into the process after the latter on Monday said Defense Ministry Comptroller Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yair Volansky would second-guess a commission that Zamir had established by Maj.-Gen. (res.) Sami Turgeman to give a final verdict on the October 7 massacre IDF probes, including personal responsibility for General Staff senior officers.
Tensions between Zamir and Katz have been brewing for months. Katz has interfered in IDF promotions in an almost unprecedented fashion, leading to a freeze that is causing many senior officers to retire, rather than wait to see how the dust settles.
Smotrich says IDF Chief Zamir broke 'basic codes'
No service member should be allowed to “publicly attack the political echelon” in a democratic nation, Smotrich said in the interview. Zamir's conduct would not be tolerated in other countries, such as the US, he said.
“In the US, the chief of staff would have received a phone call from [President Donald] Trump who would fire him on the spot,” Smotrich said.
“In a democracy, there are standard laws and basic codes [to follow],” he said. “The chief of staff cannot do some things that the defense minister is permitted to do. The minister is an elected official, part of the political echelon.”
Smotrich rejected the notion that Katz was feuding with Zamir due to political motives. Likud primaries are taking place this year ahead of the next election to the Knesset, which is set to take place in late 2026.