A Minister Detrimental to Security
Instead of focusing on external threats, the current Israeli government is actively seeking enemies from within. Defense Minister Israel Katz's recent attempt to replace Central Command Chief Avi Bluth highlights this dangerous trend.
Israel has enemies from without: from Iran and Hamas to Hezbollah and the non-stop campaigns of Israel-haters. The fronts are many, and the work is plenty. But the current government must also find itself enemies from within. At times it seems that this is the purpose of its existence.
As long as it was about the 'Kaplanists', 'Brothers in Arms', or the State Attorney's Office, it was one thing. But when it involved the Supreme Court, it became more serious. In fact, almost anyone who belongs to the national backbone, to those who serve, to the taxpayers, is a kind of enemy. Except that there is a need for more enemies. It started on the margins, on social media, and reached the Knesset with the fabrication that even in the top brass of the IDF, the Shin Bet, and perhaps the Mossad, there are traitors who plotted with Yahya Sinwar for the October 7 attack. If the people who dedicated their lives to the defense of the State of Israel are traitors, then certainly anyone who supports them belongs to that camp.
The work of those who want to destroy Israeli society is being done by destroyers from within. And even that is not enough for the current government. Now, it is the GOC Central Command, Avi Bluth, a product of religious Zionism and a graduate of the Eli pre-military academy. His tenure is characterized by two things: impressive success in dealing with Palestinian terrorism and a disturbing rise in Jewish terrorism. The latter is due to the fact that there is less and less Israel Police and more and more 'Ben Gvir Police'. Rioters in the territories receive support from a well-known part of the coalition.
Into this flammable complex entered a predatory Minister of Defense, Israel Katz. Netanyahu dismissed Yoav Gallant and planted Katz in his place to realize the coalition's vision—abusing those who serve and passing a law to exempt draft dodgers. Katz is so incompetent that he failed even in this role. He is more interested in being re-elected in the primaries than in the security of the state. His first step was the cancellation of administrative detentions for Jews, which only encouraged rioters.
The peak moment came when Katz announced on Channel 14 that he intends to appoint a replacement for Bluth. He has no authority to do so; that power belongs to the Chief of Staff. Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir did not back down and issued an unequivocal statement: there will be no appointments in the coming months. It is not Zamir who raised his head against the minister; it is the minister who is raising his head against the army and the state, trying to win pathetic applause. The attempt was stopped in its tracks.
