Officer: Situation now worse than war
Senior IDF officer tells Ynet of difficult feelings following resignation of Galilee Division commander. Major General Ben Reuven, who worked with Gal Hirsch during war, says: 'What happened to him is injustice. Senior commanders should stand up and take responsibility.' Kidnapped soldier's father: what about those who appointed him?
"There is a feeling that there is no control of the system, and we must work quickly to stabilize it, because not only Israelis are following what is happening – it is being followed in other places too," the officer said.
Sources in the IDF ascribed Hirsch's decision to the top brass.
"It's true that the chief of staff stood behind him in the round of appointments and decided to let him stay in the army and even promote him, but it was too little too late," an associate of Hirsch said.
Major General Eyal Ben Reuven, who served as the Northern Command chief's deputy during the war and recently worked closely with Hirschm thinks that what happened to him was injustice.
"It was too much for him. Already during the war and after it he suffered from ongoing slander. It reached his home, his children at school. He felt the system was not by his side, and could not take it anymore," Ben Reuven told Ynet.
According to Ben Reuven, "it is not right to look at the kidnapping as an even in itself and draw conclusions. Gal, as the division commander, started the war at a very difficult starting point and reached a good performance level, although it was free of mistakes.
"The division commanders are a fighting tank. I saw Gal during the war. He was an exemplary commander, but there was no one to back him against the ongoing slander.
"I definitely expect that in an organization like the IDF, the most senior officials should stand up and take responsibility, back the fighting rank. As a person who witnessed the conduct, I can say that the unsatisfactory war outcomes were not because of the division commander, but because of the ranks on top of them."
Major General Ben Reuven added that following Hirsch's resignation, the IDF has lost one of its best commanders. He said he hoped the incident won't affect other commanders.
"I look at what happened with sad eyes, and this is how it will be viewed by those young officers who are designated to become division commanders one day," he said.
There were those in the defense establishment who hinted that the surprises and dramas following the war have not ended.
"Gal Hirsch's move was necessary. There was a very severe incident here, a kidnapping and a difficult series of mistakes, and it was appropriate for someone to take responsibility for this as well," a retired officer told Ynet.
"In this case, Hirsch's decision may also create steps against more senior officers, including the chief of staff. He is the one who decided to promote Hirsch before the inquiry, the defense minister stopped it, and it was apparently justified, and therefore this entire conduct must be looked into," he said.
The highest price
But the latest developments are not only followed by military officials. The families of the two kidnapped soldiers, Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, are also waiting to hear the findings of the inquiry into the kidnapping, which took place exactly four months ago.
"The last time someone from the army contacted us regarding the issue was weeks ago," said Shlomo Goldwasser, Ehud's father.
He preferred not to refer to the division commander's resignation, but noted that "if there was such a bad officer like the inquiry reveals now, then the people who should pay the price are those who appointed him."
Goldwasser said he did not believe that all the procedures for obtaining a sigh of life and information about the sons.
"If we look at the results, it is obvious not everything had been done. The fact is that four months have passed, and we still know nothing," he noted.
Benny Regev, Eldad's brother, said that the report was not relevant to the family, "but to the soldiers who are still in the field and those who will come in the future."
He added that "as a citizen, I hope the right conclusions will be drawn from the report, but as far as I know, nothing has changed in the field yet. It is obvious to me that it was a failure, but I have nothing personal against Hirsch. I don’t know him, and I trust Almog's report.
"We, in any case, are looking to the future now, rather than to what has been. We have no objective at the moment other than the release of Eldad and Udi."
Ahiya Raved contributed to the report
