Israel Katz's Irresponsibility Calls His Suitability as Defense Minister into Question
Defense Minister Israel Katz's irresponsible attempt to fire the GOC Central Command on live television has sparked outrage, highlighting a disregard for legal authority and national security.
What is more surprising and infuriating than anything is the irresponsibility of Israel Katz. It is hard to believe that a person serving as the Minister of Defense of the State of Israel, in the midst of a war and in a politically sensitive period when the nerves of the exhausted Israeli public are already stretched to the limit, would choose to take such a divisive and infuriating step on a personal and national level. It is not just the "what" but also the "how," the "who," and the "why."
Katz acted with a complete lack of authority and, in practice, violated a Basic Law of the State of Israel when he announced on a live broadcast on Channel 14 that he intended to dismiss the GOC Central Command, Avi Bluth. Therefore, he encountered a determined response from the IDF Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, whose authority includes appointments and dismissals in the IDF at all levels. The Minister of Defense is only supposed to approve or not approve the appointments (or dismissals) initiated by the Chief of Staff, and if there is a dispute, according to the Basic Law: The Military, the government in its plenary or the Security Cabinet shall decide.
Eroding Authority and Legal Norms
Thus, Katz, in a live broadcast, not only damaged the dignity of General Bluth, a highly respected and effective fighter and commander, but also eroded the authority of the Chief of Staff granted to him by law. And this — it must be stated again and again — in these very days when the Chief of Staff and Bluth are sending people into battle and are forced to deal with Jewish rioters running wild in Judea and Samaria.
Katz is not the first Minister of Defense who seeks to dismiss a serving general in the IDF. He was preceded by Prime Minister and Minister of Defense David Ben-Gurion, who brought about — for political reasons — the resignation of Chief of Staff Yigael Yadin, who did not agree with his budgetary policy, and of General Yigal Allon, who opposed the dismantling of the Palmach. But Ben-Gurion did not fire senior officers; he caused them to resign of their own volition because, as Minister of Defense, he decided with full authority on the budgetary and functional policy of the IDF. It is important to note that all this happened in the 50s, before the Basic Law: The Military was enacted in 1976, which determines that the government is the supreme commander of the IDF and that the Minister of Defense is the person appointed on its behalf to implement its policy in the army, including in matters of appointments.
Political Ambitions Over Security
Hence, Katz was required by law to consult with the Chief of Staff and receive his explicit consent for the dismissal of General Bluth. Katz was well aware of this, as from the moment he took office, he initiated disputes with the Chief of Staff on the subject of appointments, even though Katz himself recommended the appointment of Zamir. Katz's formal claim was that someone who held a senior position in the army on October 7 should not continue to serve. Therefore, Zamir, at his request, reopened the IDF investigations to determine the extent of the senior officers' responsibility for the failures on that terrible day, for example, that of the incumbent Head of Aman, Major General Shlomi Binder.
But even after that, Katz continued to place obstacles in the Chief of Staff's path regarding appointments, and in addition, issued inflammatory statements to the media, some of which endangered IDF soldiers in the field and some of which directly caused the severe diplomatic isolation of the State of Israel. This was Katz's way of showing who is the boss and thus gaining image points among the people of his political camp. Anyone who examines in depth the conduct of Katz as Minister of Defense will have no difficulty seeing that he acted according to political considerations and looked to the Likud primaries more than he cared purely for the security of Israel.
Katz trampled with a heavy foot in the Channel 14 studio not only basic norms of behavior but also violated the law in the State of Israel. This person needs to vacate the Minister of Defense's office — and truly, an hour sooner is better. I have no doubt. The full-time political operative who now occupies the office on the 14th floor of the Ministry of Defense is not worthy and is not suitable to serve as the Minister of Defense of the State of Israel in this difficult time.
