Netanyahu and Ya'alon heal differences
Defense Minister Ya'alon and Prime Minister Netanyahu have healed a rift between them over statements made by the Ya'alon. Meanwhile, various other ministers condemn Ya'alon for his statements.
A joint message sent from the two leaders said that "Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ya'alon met Monday morning and have settled their differences. There is no objection and there was no objection that the IDF is subject to the political leadership, and that IDF officers are free to say their opinions in relevant forums."
Earlier, Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz condemned Minister Ya'alon following the latter's statements saying that high ranking IDF officers must not be afraid to speak their minds. Steinitz is considered to be in Prime Minister Netanyahu's inner circle.
"The country controls the military through governmental decisions – not the other way around," he said.
"I don’t understand Ya'alon's motives for saying what he said. I believe his role is to bring discipline to the IDF and to worry about what happens there," Steinitz said in an interview with Israel Army Radio.
Steinitz also said in the Army Radio interview that "what Ya'alon said was an unfortunate mistake. This happened once with Obama, where an officer disagreed with the president's position, and the next day he was fired. The army can't undercut the political leadership. It's disappointing to see that this has led to political controversy. Regarding the statements made by the Deputy IDF Chief of Staff, there is no need for an automatic backtrack of his statements. It's Ya'alon's job to ensure that what's occurring now never happens; that the IDF is dragged into the heart of political discussions or into an argument between the left and the right."
An official close to Ya'alon responded by saying that Steinitz is "a street sweeper with no backbone."
Sports and Culture Minister Miri Regev (Likud) also threw her hat into the ring, saying that "the Minister of Defense is confused. While IDF commanders do have a duty to say what's in their hearts, they should do it in the appropriate forums and regarding the issues they are entrusted with. It's inappropriate for an officer to take the reins from the political leadership and act as if they are a military that controls a country."
Miri Regev is a retired Brig. General and formerly served as the IDF Spokeswoman.
Ya'alon angered the Prime Minister by saying "over the past few months, we have found ourselves fighting against an extremist minority that acts both on the ground and on social media. A part of this fringe group also made its way to the mainstream, under cover and guise, and is trying to influence the character and values of the IDF."
"This is a significant struggle like no other, perhaps the most vital and important one in many years," Ya'alon said. "Not just over the character of the IDF, but also the character of Israeli society. The continued undermining of the moral and ethical strength of the IDF and of Israeli society will be disastrous for the State of Israel. I will admit to you that the issue has caused me to lose sleep, but it also makes me determined to win this battle. As someone who received the world and all that is in it from the IDF, and acknowledges the importance of safeguarding its values, I have no intention to back down on the matter. For me, and I know that for you as well, this is my true mission."
Ya'alon went on to claim that "this isn't a matter of right-wing or left-wing, as the sane majority in Israeli society, across the political spectrum, seeks to keep the IDF as a moral army, and its soldiers and commanders as moral and humane. They are indeed moral, and if there are any who deviate from these norms—we know how to deal with them, and will not allow soldiers to be trigger-happy, inciting and vengeful, or to lose their senses. We will back anyone who innocently errs, but will show no tolerance to those who digress from their authority and act in contravention of the law and our values."
Ya'alon argued that having an ethical and moral army was "first and foremost, before the advanced weapons and accurate intelligence, the guarantee to our security."
He said that "the IDF imbibes from Israeli society, and Israeli society imbibes from the IDF. The mutual influence makes you, the commanders, into educational figures as well: Those who know how to use force when necessarily, but also understand the limitations of that force; those who maintain humility, integrity and honesty, and do not allow arrogance to have command of their agenda. The IDF was and remains the central melting pot of the State of Israel, and as such we must protect and preserve it, and not allow violent and inciting elements, or those who influence soldiers, into it."
The statements stemmed from an uproar caused by the Deputy IDF Chief of Staff's comments on the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day, saying that Israel today was behaving as Germany did in the 1930's and 1940's.
