Brig. Gen. Yisrael Shomer, head of the IDF Operations Division, was questioned Tuesday by the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division over suspected ethical and integrity violations, including allegations involving a relationship with a subordinate under his command.
The IDF did not refer directly to the investigation in its official statement Tuesday night. Instead, the military said that Maj. Gen. Itzik Cohen, head of the Operations Directorate, had accepted Shomer’s request earlier in the day to end his position and retire from the military for “personal reasons.”
The IDF added that the chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, approved Shomer’s immediate retirement from service. Until a permanent replacement is appointed, Col. A., head of the Planning Department in the Operations Directorate, will serve as acting head of the Operations Division.
The move marks a significant shake-up in the IDF’s senior command. Shomer had been considered a candidate for promotion to major general, and his name had been mentioned in connection with several senior posts, including head of Central Command.
Although the IDF statement said Shomer had requested to step down, he was effectively forced to retire and removed from his position because of the suspicions against him.
Shomer was previously questioned by military police in 2015, when he was commander of the Binyamin Brigade, over an incident in which he shot and killed Palestinian teenager Mohammed Hani al-Kosba. The teenager had thrown a rock at Shomer’s jeep and then tried to flee.
The case against Shomer was closed nearly a year later, in 2016. Investigators found that Shomer had fired while in motion rather than from a stationary position, and that the inaccurate fire led to the Palestinian teenager’s death.