No longer a conflict with the generals: Israel Katz is endangering Israel's security | Adv. Uriel Lynn

Defense Minister Israel Katz has held several senior positions in Israeli governments. He served as Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Finance for a short time, and stood out mainly as Minister of Transport. In this role, he fought against road accidents and made two important decisions: the Open Skies policy, which allowed for true competition in Israel in global aviation services; and the construction of two new seaports, a decision critical to the country's economic future. But today, as Minister of Defense, a position considered second in importance after the Prime Minister, a significant part of Katz's activity harms Israel's security.

Settlers did not create Palestinian terrorism in Judea and Samaria. But an extremist minority among them decided to go on violent revenge campaigns to harm the Palestinian population: uprooting olive trees, burning residential houses and mosques, and physically attacking residents. This bullying inflames the region, fuels the Palestinian population's hatred against us, and increases the motivation of terrorist organizations to carry out attacks. The result: the deployment of additional military units to these areas and even the loss of human life.

Against this backdrop, our Defense Minister chooses to provide a protective shield for Jewish criminals. He forbids administrative arrests, and recently disqualified a restraining order issued by the GOC Central Command, claiming that the commander is acting against government policy. Later, Katz even initiated an unprecedented scandal by announcing on a television broadcast his intention to replace the GOC Central Command, Avi Bluth.

We are all aware of the severe shortage of manpower in the IDF. The burden currently placed on reservists is devastating, and on the other hand, 80,000 young ultra-Orthodox men who feed off the state budget do not serve. But during the war, since October 7, the Likud government has been trying to draft a law that will ensure the ultra-Orthodox evasion of service. The former chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Yuli Edelstein, sought to moderate the scope of the evasion. And what did the Defense Minister do? He cooperated in Edelstein's removal from his position to facilitate the promotion of the evasion law.

Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir fulfilled his duty and warned the government about the worsening situation regarding manpower in the IDF. And then, MK Aryeh Deri, one of the architects of the evasion, attacked the Chief of Staff with poisonous claims and said that he is strengthening the Left. And what did the Defense Minister do? He kept his mouth shut, not a word against Deri, not a word in defense of the Chief of Staff.

Likud initiated the Basic Law: Torah Study, with the aim of granting supreme constitutional status to those evading service in the IDF, and the Arrests Law, which prevents the arrest of evaders from the ultra-Orthodox public. Two laws designed to make it difficult for the IDF to recruit ultra-Orthodox men. And what did the Defense Minister do? He gave full support to the passage of these two laws. And if I have missed anything from the Defense Minister's actions that harm the country's security, I apologize.

Minister Katz conducts himself toward the IDF's senior command with foolish authoritarianism. He does not resolve disagreements within the system, but rather publicizes with fanfare and in the open any criticism he has and encourages the unrestrained to join him. In doing so, he also undermines the trust of part of the public in the IDF. We have known talented ministers in the past, as well as failed ministers. But a minister who acts diligently, persistently, and with a clear mind against the fundamental goals of his ministry, we have not yet known. A narrow camp within his party applauds him, but Likud will pay a heavy price in the next elections.