Verbal confrontation between Ben-Gvir and Military leaders reveals the scale of Israeli division
Wounded soldiers refuse to meet Benjamin Netanyahu at a rehabilitation hospital, exposing the extent of anger within the military establishment towards political leaders
Israeli Channel revealed on Tuesday that the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, Hertzi Halevi, shouted at the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, saying, ‘Don’t threaten me,’ while Israeli soldiers, wounded in action, refused to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in hospitals, revealing the state of internal division in Israel and anger towards the political leadership.
Channel 12 reported that the shouting incident occurred during the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday.
It added, ‘In the discussion that took place in the cabinet on Monday, the issue of soldiers taking over a sound system in a mosque in Jenin a few days ago came up.’
Five days ago, videos showed soldiers praying inside a mosque in Jenin in the northern West Bank. Following this, the Israeli army announced the removal of two soldiers from operational activity, confirming that ‘the incident is subject to disciplinary action.’ However, Ben-Gvir described the decision to punish the soldiers as ‘disgraceful.’
The Israeli Channel reported parts of the argument during the government meeting, where Ben-Gvir said, ‘How is this possible? You turned a fly into an elephant, and it just topped the headlines, hurting the soldiers.’
The commander of the Israeli Southern Command, Eliezer Toledano, responded, ‘This is our responsibility and authority only.’ Ben-Gvir reiterated, ‘Yes, yes, we have already heard about your authority and responsibility.’
The channel mentioned that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu interrupted the discussion, saying, ‘Enough, we got the answer.’
The channel 12 pointed out that after Netanyahu left the room, the debate heated up again. Ben-Gvir said, ‘Woe to you if they (the soldiers) are dismissed.’ The response this time came from Chief of Staff Hertzi Halevi, shouting, ‘Don’t threaten me; I will decide what my values are in the Israeli army.’
In response, Ben-Gvir told Halevi, ‘I am not threatening you. As a member of the government, I will criticize this action,’ according to the channel.
Education Minister Yifat Shasha-Biton addressed Ben-Gvir, saying, ‘Stop criticizing them all the time.’ The latter replied, ‘I am allowed to criticize when soldiers are harmed; it is my duty.’
The channel explained that Halevi intervened in the discussion, saying, ‘I am the army commander, and I will determine the ethical and professional standards for the soldiers.’
Following this debate, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said in a post on the “X” platform on Tuesday, ‘The State of Israel and the Israeli army have won a brave, ethical, and experienced chief of staff during a tough and complex war.’
He added, ‘The Israeli army will continue to act firmly, according to the value compass based on Israeli traditions, law, and the spirit of the Israeli army.‘
In reference to Ben-Gvir, he continued, ‘I will continue to support the Israeli army and the chief of staff against irresponsible politicians who try to gain political gains at the expense of leaders who bear the brunt of the war.’
In response, Ben-Gvir posted on “X,” saying, ‘Yoav, we also have brave and courageous soldiers who give everything to make a decision that is clear in war.’
Since the start of ground operations, 719 officers and soldiers have been injured, with 131 killed, according to the Israeli army.
He continued, ‘If we learned anything from the October 7th attack last year, it is that it is allowed, desirable, and necessary to pass objective criticism to the senior leadership as well, certainly when it comes to excellent soldiers.’
The incident of the attack on a mosque in Jenin during one of the Israeli army incursions into the camp was met with widespread criticism inside and outside Israel.
The Israeli army intensifies operations of incursion, arrest, and killing in towns and cities in the West Bank, simultaneously with a destructive war it is waging on the Gaza Strip since October 7th last year. This has resulted in 19,667 deaths and 52,586 injuries, most of whom are children and women, along with massive infrastructure destruction and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, according to the authorities in the Gaza Strip and the United Nations.
In another incident revealing the extent of anger towards the government and the state of division, Israeli soldiers wounded on Tuesday refused to attend a meeting with Netanyahu during his visit to a hospital in central Israel, according to Channel 13.
The channel stated that Netanyahu arrived today on a visit to the rehabilitation department at Sheba Medical Center to meet soldiers injured in ground battles in the Gaza Strip, but some patients refused to meet him.
The channel continued that “representatives of the army and officials in the Prime Minister’s Office gathered the wounded who agreed to meet the Prime Minister in a separate and isolated part of the department.”
Netanyahu‘s office, in a statement, said, “The Prime Minister visited the war victims’ rehabilitation center at Sheba Medical Hospital on Tuesday, where he met civilians who were injured on October 7th last year and soldiers injured during the fighting in Gaza.”
Social media users in Israel circulated a video showing Netanyahu and Rabbi Shai Groszir, who stood out in activities to collect donations for the army, handing out “iPhone” devices to three wounded soldiers.
In the video, Groszir says that an “iPhone” saved one of the soldiers from a bullet in the battles of Gaza, so he gave him a new device.
