Israel Katz

Israel Katz publishes IDF chief's letter warning of manpower shortage amid haredi draft debate

Zamir sent the letter after attacks on the government for failing to push for haredim to draft into the IDF in large numbers.

 Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir. March 25, 2025.
Israeli security and rescue forces take part in an earthquake drill at Ziv Medical Center, Safed, northern Israel, December 23, 2025; illustrative.

Next years 'critical' for Israel's earthquake preparedness, Israel Katz warns

Defense Minister Israel Katz and his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias inspect the honour guard, prior to their meeting in Athens Greece, January 20, 2026

Iran, Turkey must forget 'dreams of empires,' Israel Katz warns at summit with Greek counterpart

An attorney has urged the Shin Bet to act after three Jewish hilltop youth allegedly attacked a pregnant Arab woman in Jaffa, warning that settler violence is being shifted from the West Bank into Israel’s cities.

IDF admits failure to sufficiently reduce Jewish violence against West Bank Palestinians


'Hezbollah disarms or Israel acts': Netanyahu, Ortagus meet as Israel-Lebanon tensions flare

The talks come one year after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, which Israeli officials say is eroding.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seen walking in the hallways of the Knesset, in Jerusalem, November 3, 2025

Over 60 local leaders push Netanyahu to halt haredi draft bill, warn of social rift

“The IDF needs, more than ever, additional soldiers to carry the heavy burden of defending the state,” the letter said, arguing that mandatory service reflects Israel’s “shared destiny.”

A Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem, December 1, 2025.

Israel must halt Houthi infiltration into Syria as Iran plans another multi-front war - opinion

Israel appears to have little choice but to undertake preemptive action to signal that a Houthi entrenchment in Syria will not be tolerated.

HOUTHI LOYALISTS hold up posters of then-Syrian president Bashar Assad during a march in Sanaa, Yemen, in 2013. During the Syrian Civil War, Houthi operatives were deployed by the Quds Force to fight Assad’s opponents, says the writer.

Netanyahu must be pardoned as Israel's security reality 'more complex than ever,' Katz says

Defense Minister Israel Katz called the pardon necessary as Israel faces a "more complex security reality than ever before."

 Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu with National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir during a discussion and a vote in the assembly hall of the Knesset in Jerusalem. March 6, 2023.

Editor's Notes: Zamir faces painful reckoning as the IDF confronts failures, fragile leadership

A rare look inside the emotional and moral struggle facing IDF leaders after October 7 and the cost of true accountability.

IDF CHIEF OF STAFF Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir prays at the Western Wall during the ceremony officially swearing him in as the military’s highest-ranking officer.

Afraid of accountability, Israel’s government goes after its own generals - opinion

What Katz did to Zamir this week is not about professionalism, governance, or oversight. It is about keeping the spotlight on the IDF and away from the government.

Defense Minister Israel Katz speaks during an IDF swearing-in ceremony for the new Military Advocate-General Itai Offir, November 27, 2025

Defense Minister Israel Katz is a strategic liability that Israel cannot afford - opinion

Israel's defense minister does not have the skills that his job demands. The kind of strategizing that Ben-Gurion, Eshkol, and Arens did in their jobs is beyond Katz’s abilities

Defence Minister Israel Katz inspects a missile at the Tel Nof Air Force base in March.

In Israel's clash of politicians and generals, IDF holds the upper hand over government

NATIONAL AFFAIRS: The defense minister's feud with his military chief reveals a distinctly Israeli tendency to take the military’s side when it clashes with the political echelon.

DEFENSE MINISTER Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir feuded this week in a bruising confrontation that spilled into the open, dominated headlines, and led to public questions about whether the defense establishment is losing its focus, says the writer.

Grapevine November 28, 2025: A Latin American ally

Movers and shakers in Israeli society.

AMBASSADOR OF Argentina to Israel Rabbi Axel Wahnish.

Smotrich calls for IDF chief's dismissal over feud, argues Trump 'would have fired him in a call'

Smotrich argues that in a democracy, the IDF chief must adhere to "basic codes" and cannot publicly attack elected officials, citing the US as an example of firm accountability.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich speaks in the Knesset plenum, in Jerusalem, March 25, 2025